


Second Chance

by ShinkaAkira



Series: The Hearts Connected To Yours [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Multi, Pre-Canon, sora can talk to ven, ven is awake inside sora
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-10-23 05:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 35,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17677706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinkaAkira/pseuds/ShinkaAkira
Summary: “Would you mind if I stayed here, with you?”When Sora agreed to this request, he just wanted the other to feel better. He had no idea exactly what it would entail.(An au in which Sora could always talk to Ventus inside him, and all the changes that come with this)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Now that KH3 has come out I feel like I can finally get started on this story! It's probably going to be a long, multi-part process as I go through each of the games and write them into this AU. I'll try to update relatively frequently, but between work and school I cant make any promises. This first chapter is mostly setup and from here I'll be working on mostly pre-canon for now.

Sora woke up on an island, lying in the sand. It was the island he and Riku liked to play on, except it also wasn’t. It couldn’t be, not when he knew that he wasn’t actually awake right now. At the same time though, he could tell that this wasn’t a dream either. Everything from the wind on his face to the taste of salt-water air on his tongue was far to real to be a simple figment of his imagination. But if he wasn’t awake, and he wasn’t dreaming, what was left?

Standing up and brushing the sand from his clothes, he decided he wasn’t going to get any answers just lying still. He turned to start walking along the shore, figuring exploring the island was as good a place to start as any, when a light caught in the corner of his eye. He had to raise his hand to shield himself from the glare of the sunlight as he looked up at the sky. At first, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but finally he spotted what had caught his attention. He thought maybe it was a bird, just a speck in the distance to him. But the longer he focused on it, the closer and clearer it seemed to get. Falling from the sky towards the ocean below was what appeared to be a person. 

As soon as those thoughts were fully processed, Sora began to panic. The figure was rapidly approaching the water, and he was pretty sure people couldn’t survive falls from that high up. Then again, he was also pretty sure people didn’t just fall from the sky like that. A thousand thoughts raced through his head all at once and he couldn’t understand any of them. He had to do something before they reached the water, but he couldn’t form any coherent ideas. In the end, time ran out as he shuffled back and forth on his feet with uncertainty. The person met the waves head first with a loud splash. 

There were a few moments of stillness before tears started welling up in his eyes. Sora always tried not to cry, it only seemed to make him and those around him even sadder. In that moment though, his fear from being indecisive overwhelmed that. It happened all too often for him, his mind would get swarmed with thoughts and words and feelings and in the end it would leave him frozen in place. And this time because of it, he wasn’t able to do anything to save that person from falling to their death.

Tremors began to shake his small body as his hands gripped at the bottom of his shirt. It started small, but the more he tried to repress it, the harder it was to contain his tears. His vision blurred and soon all he could do was stand there and cry out his feeling. Just as he was about to resign himself to sobbing until he tired himself out, he felt something lightly squeeze his shoulder. 

“Hey there, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Rubbing the tears out of his eyes, Sora looked up to see a boy kneeling on the sand before him. He was older than Sora’s own four years, but still young enough to not be an adult. His blond hair was plastered against his face, weighed down by the water dripping from it, and his wet clothes clung to his body in a way Sora knew from experience wasn’t comfortable. His blue eyes were filled with concern as he waited for an answer, and Sora found himself fighting back more tears. His breath caught in his chest as he tried to talk and his voice hitched when he was finally able to put together words.

“You-You were falling. You were falling from so high up and I-I couldn’t do anything to help. I wanted to save you but I just froze and I didn’t do anything and you hit the water so hard.” His voice broke on the last word as he was wracked by sobs once again. The other boy began to speak to him softly.

“There’s no need to cry, it’s okay. I’m fine; see?” At this he held both arms out as if to display that he had no injuries. “No worse for wear, just a little wet. Thank you for worrying about me, but I’m safe. We can’t get hurt in here so don’t be afraid. Just take some deep breaths and steady yourself.” The boy smiled at him and Sora found himself wanting to smile back. He tried to grin at the other boy but with his body still shaking and tears still pouring from his eyes it probably didn’t look very good. Following his instructions, Sora closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. After he couldn’t hold any more air in his lungs he would let it out, and then begin the cycle over again. The other boy was patient as he worked on calming himself, a reassuring presence to help anchor him to the present. Once his tears dried and he felt more relaxed, he opened his eyes again to see the boys smile hadn’t wavered. 

“There, that’s better. You did a great job grounding yourself.” The boy shifted from kneeling in front of him to sitting with his legs crossed on the sand. He made a brief face of discomfort as the sand stuck to his wet pants, before he was back to smiling at him. “Thank you again for letting me stay here with you. I’m Ventus, but you can call me Ven. What’s your name?” Sora looked at the boy, Ven, in confusion.

“My name’s Sora. What do you mean by ‘letting you stay here’? Where is ‘here’? I know that I’m asleep, but this doesn’t feel like a dream.” Sora looked to the older boy for answers. He seemed to know something about what was going on. Ven gave a small sigh before laughing quietly.

“So you don’t remember. Well, I guess I’ll start with where we are. This, Sora,“ he gestured at everything around them “is your heart.” Sora looked up and down the beach, out at the ocean, and then back to Ven. He continued to smile at him with sincerity, but he was still confused. 

“We’re…inside my heart? Why does it look like the island? And if it’s my heart, how are you here?” That answer had just filled him with more questions. Ven put his hand to his chin and hummed in thought. At least he seemed to be taking Sora’s question seriously; usually older people bushed him off for being a kid. 

“Well, everyone’s hearts are shaped by their feelings and experiences. It takes the form of what’s most important to them. My guess is that this island is where you feel most at home, so your heart took its form so that you would feel safe.” He smiled at Sora again. “As for me being here, you might not remember this, but you actually called out to me. I was lost in the darkness when I heard your voice. I followed the sound and next thing I knew I was here in your heart. You let me join my heart to yours so that I could stay here with you while I heal.” He paused for a moment to let Sora take all this in. The little boy looked the other up and down as he thought.

“Heal? Are you hurt? Do you need a bandage?” He had so many questions but this seemed the most important. Had Ven been injured when he fell after all? But if they were talking about hearts, how could a heart get hurt? And how did you fix one?

“It’s not that type of hurt, but yes. I was…in a fight. I had to protect my friend but the other was really strong.” Ven trailed off, seemingly lost in thought.

“Did you lose?” Sora didn’t think Ven looked very strong, but then again Riku was pretty strong and he was only a kid too. Ven shook his head.

“Not quite. But I wouldn’t really say I won either. It was…more like mutual defeat. I beat him but in doing so I had to shatter my heart.” He put a hand to his chest. “Right now my body is sleeping somewhere, while my heart is here with you, slowly working to put itself back together. I don’t know how long it will take, but until then I’m gonna do my best to recover.” He said this with a determined voice, his gaze steady, as it seemed to look somewhere else entirely. Sora wasn’t sure why, but he seemed sad in that moment.

“Well, I don’t know what I can do to help, but I’ll be here with you. It is my heart after all, and if I really did invite you here it’d be rude of me not to take care of you!” He grinned at Ven who appeared to be taken by surprise. He looked at Sora for a while before a smile slowly spread across his face.

“Thank you Sora, I appreciate that. I think…right now I could definitely use a friend.” Sora held out his hand to Ven, who took it into his own with a steady grip.

“Okay, friends it is then!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora wakes up to find that it really wasn't just a dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I was able to bang out this chapter so quickly. This updating days in a row probably wont be a regular thing, I'm just super motivated right now and excited about finally starting this story. Right now it's mainly gonna focus on pre-canon to set things up for when the first game starts, but I hope you all enjoy adorable baby Sora!

Sora was a deep sleeper, he almost always needed someone to shake or call out to him in order to wake up. So it was a surprise to him when he found himself slowly rousing from his slumber on his own. He blinked a few times and had to rub the crust out of his eyes before he was finally able to bring his room into focus. Light was streaming through the window next to his bed, the sun already risen, but not yet high enough to indicate that he’d slept in. He wondered for a moment what had caused him to wake up when he remembered everything he had learned while he’d been asleep. While talking to Ven he had been so sure that everything he said was true, but now that he was awake he found himself more uncertain.

“Was it all a dream after all?” He held his hand to his heart, where he had apparently been the night before. He didn’t want it to be a dream. Ven was his friend now, and he wanted him to be real. Just as he was about to ponder this further, he heard a voice speak up, quiet but clear.

_No Sora, I’m still here with you._

Perking up, Sora quickly looked around the room, searching for his new friend. His voice had sounded so close, but no matter which way he turned, he couldn’t find him.

_You won’t be able to see me, I’m in your heart, remember? I can’t appear in the real world without a body._

That made sense he guessed. Although, it was hard to make much sense out of anything that was happening, everything was so new to him.

“But I can still talk to you? How does that work? Can others hear you too?” He could tell Ven was smiling at him again, which was weird since he couldn’t actually see him. It was just a feeling he got, like he was all warm inside.

_Honestly I don’t know. This is all new to me too. I don’t think that other people can hear me; I don’t have a mouth to speak with. It feels more like I’m thinking at you, and you can hear those thoughts since we’re connected._

This was all very confusing in Sora’s opinion. And he didn’t think it was one of those things that people would tell him he’d understand when he was older. He wasn’t sure he’d ever really get it.

“Sounds complicated. But as long as it means I can talk to you, I don’t think it really matters how. It’s gonna be weird talking to someone I can’t see though.” There was a light chuckle from inside him.

_Yeah, it’s definitely going to take some getting used to. I’ve never been just a heart inside somebody else before._

Sora smiled at Ven, although to anyone else it would just look like he was smiling at nothing. He was sure Ven could feel it nonetheless.

“Well we can get used to it together! I’m sure the two of us can figure it out somehow. It’s like a mystery that needs to be solved. Or training for an adventure!” Sora liked adventures. He and Riku had adventures on the island all the time. And now he and Ven could too. He should introduce his two friends; they’d probably get along really well. He wasn’t entirely sure how that would work with Ven being inside him, but he’d find a way.

 Before Ven could respond, there was a knock at Sora’s bedroom door. He turned his head just in time to see his door slowly creak open, his Mama peeking her head through from the other side. She grinned as she stepped the rest of the way into the room, her hands on her hips and her brow quirked in amusement.

“And here I thought I was hearing things, but the sleepyhead is actually awake.” She turned her head back towards the doorway before shouting into the hall. “Kalana! You owe me dinner!” There was the sound of something clattering before a faint “No shit?” could be heard hollered back. Sora giggled from behind his hands, his moms were so silly sometimes. 

At the sound of his laughter, his Mama turned her attention back to him. Walking over to the bed, she put her hand on his head and vigorously ruffled his hair. If he wasn’t fully awake before, he certainly was now. He squealed in protest as he tried to shove her hand away and hide under the bed covers. Satisfied that his hair was properly a mess, his Mama finally relented in her onslaught.

“So, bed bug, who were you talking to? Did Riku sneak in here to drag you away to the beach? He knows he can just use the front door, right?” She glanced around the room as if the other boy would appear upon being called out. Sora smiled as he tried to brush the hair out of his eyes and look up at her.

“I was talking to Ven!” Having not found Riku, she turned her attention back to her son and raised an eyebrow in question. Sora wished he could do that, but no matter how much he practiced in front of a mirror he could never get just the one eyebrow to move.

“Ven? That’s a name I haven’t heard before. He a new friend of yours?” Sora nodded his head as he tried to roll his way out of bed. He was already awake so he might as well get up and going for the day.

“Yup! I just met him last night, but I’m sure we’re gonna be really great friends. Oh, you can’t see him since he’s in my heart. I can still hear and talk to him though! And I can see him in my heart when I go to sleep, or at least I did last night. Will I still be able to visit you when I got to bed tonight?” Sora tilted his head in question. He wished he could see what kind of expression Ven was making, but Ven couldn’t see his face either so at least it was fair. He would just have to adjust to this new way of communicating.

_I don’t see why not, it is your heart after all. You should be able to visit whenever you want._

Well that was one question answered. Only a million more to figure out. Realizing his Mama couldn’t hear Ven’s response; Sora turned his attention back to her.

“He said I probably could! Neither of us really knows how this works yet so it’s gonna be a lot of learning as we go.” Message relayed, he hopped off the bed and walked over to his closet to grab a change of clothes for the day. He and Riku were going back to the island again so whatever he wore had to be something he could get sand on, otherwise his Mom would scold him again. Picking out a tee shirt and some swim shorts, he turned back around to see his Mama watching him with amusement.

“Okay then buddy, you and Ven have fun. Just make sure you come down and get some breakfast since you’re up. Mom and I would love to have you two join us for pancakes.” With that she leaned down to place a kiss on his head before leaving the room to join her wife in the kitchen.

_She seems really nice._

Sora grinned and nodded his head in agreement.

“Yeah Mama’s the best. Mom’s great too, I’m sure you’ll love her. She also makes the best pancakes ever, so we don’t wanna miss out on that.” Excited about the prospect of food, Sora quickly changed out of his pajamas and into the clothes he’d chosen. Taking a brush to his hair would have to wait until after breakfast. If his mama hadn’t wanted him to come to the table with messy hair then she shouldn’t have ruffled it in the first place! Dressed for the day, he quickly made his way out of his room and into the kitchen. He didn’t want his meal getting cold.

_What’s a ‘pancake’?_

Pausing at the top of the stairs, Sora had to think about how to answer that question. How did Ven not know what a pancake was?

“It’s…you know, a pancake. Breakfast food? Super yummy? Kinda like a cake, but flatter I guess.” Had Ven never eaten a pancake before? That sounded awful! He couldn’t imagine a life without his Mom’s favorite breakfast.

_It’s a cake? But cakes are sweet. And for desert. How could you eat that as a breakfast food? That can’t be a balanced meal._

Sora couldn’t help but laugh at the confusion in Ven’s voice. He figured if his new friend was that obvious with his emotions in his tone then it would be all right not being able to see him.

“It’s breakfast, it doesn’t have to be balanced! As long as you eat enough to get you till lunch you’re good to go! And I said it’s _like_ a cake, not that it actually was one.” Reminded of his goal, Sora resumed his walk to the kitchen. “Besides, what would _you_ eat for breakfast instead?” There was a brief pause as Ven seemed to think it over.

_Well, Master Eraqus always made us grilled fish with rice and soup to get us through morning training. If we didn’t eat enough protein in the morning we wouldn’t have the energy to make it to lunch usually._

Sora grinned as he made his way down the stairs.

“That sounds like the kind of breakfast Mama usually likes to make. When Mom cooks in the mornings though, it’s always pancakes, eggs, or malasadas!” Pancakes were Sora’s personal favorite, but the malasadas came in a close second. He was about to ask Ven about who Master Eraqus was and what kind of training he did when he arrived at the kitchen. Mama was already sitting at the dining table and Mom was putting the last of the pancakes on a plate to serve. Entering the room, his Mom was the first one to spot him.

“So, my little pancake, I see you’ve stopped by for some good old fashioned cannibalism?” She grinned as she pointed the spatula at him. From inside of him he could hear Ven laughing at what she had said but he just stood there pouting.

“Mom, I don’t even know what that _means_.” She did this all the time, making jokes that he didn’t quite get and then never explaining them. Mama snorted as she lightly wacked her partner on the arm.

“Kalana knock it off, one of these days he’s gonna go asking people about what your jokes mean and they’re gonna have questions for us.” Mom just waved her hand flippantly as she put the cooking utensils in the sink.

“It’s fine Aiko, where’s the fun in raising a kid if you cant mess with them every once in a while? Besides, we already had to deal with the questioning when he asked Riku’s grandmother what ‘fuck’ meant. We’ve since established that if he really wants to know what a word means, he asks us, and that he’s not allowed to repeat what we say until he’s old enough.”

“You mean what _you_ say, dear.”

_Are they always like this?_

Sora could feel Vens amusement and just nodded his head.

“Pretty much. I don’t always get what they’re talking about, but at least they’re having fun!” Pulling out his chair, Sora sat down at the table and sized up the pancakes. The chocolate chip ones were his favorite, but the coconut pancakes weren’t a bad option either. Mom hadn’t made them as big as she usually did, so he thought he might be able to eat one of each without getting too full. Deciding to start with the chocolate chip, he was about to ask for a plate when he realized both his mothers’ eyes were on him. Mama smiled at him as she rested her chin on her hand.

“Talking to Ven again?” Mom finished passing out the plates and looked between them as she sat down.

“Ven? Who’s Ven?” Sora quickly took his plate and placed the fluffiest looking chocolate chip pancake from the stack on it. He busied himself with cutting it into pieces as he answered his Mom.

“He’s my new friend! He got hurt fighting some bad guys so his heart is resting in my heart while he gets better.” Satisfied that his slices were small enough, he grabbed his fork and stuffed one in his mouth, relishing the chocolaty goodness. Mom smiled at him as she started serving herself some pancakes as well.

“Is that so? Well, tell Ven that I hope he feels better soon, and that he kicked those bad guys’ butts.” She grinned playfully as she cut into her own breakfast as well.

“Oh, he can hear you, you just can’t hear him. And he already took care of the bad guys, right?” He directed his question toward Ven this time.

_I’m pretty sure. I don’t quite know what happened with Master Xheanort, but I’m certain that Vanitas is gone now._

Sora chewed on his food in thought, before swallowing as he came to a decision.

“Well if that Ze…Za…if that Nort guy comes back we can take him! I fight against Riku all the time and I think I’ve gotten pretty strong from it! And we can start training together too!” He was excited at the idea, training with his friends to conquer a powerful enemy against the odds. Sounded like his kind of adventure.

_Well hopefully he’s gone and done with, but I appreciate it anyway._

Satisfied with that answer, Sora went back to eating his pancakes. Ven really was missing out if he’d never had them before. Maybe one day when he gets his body back he could try them. For a while, he ate in silence as his moms chatted with each other. Before long, he’d cleared his plate and was taking it over to the sink. Before he could head back upstairs to brush his teeth and hair, his Mom was talking to him again.

“Let me know when you’re set to head on out. I’m sure Riku’s already awake and waiting for us to pick him up so you guys can have plenty of time to play on the island.” Sora didn’t want to keep Riku waiting, so he quickly headed upstairs to finish getting ready. All the while he was brushing his hair, he kept up a constant chatter with Ven.

“Just wait until you meet Riku! He’s my best friend and we’ve known each other for forever. Mom’s gonna take us to go play on the island nearby, the one that we were on last night in my heart.” Finally pleased with the state of his hair after his Mama had ruined it earlier, Sora put the brush down and rushed over to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

_Riku, he’s the one you’ve fought against right?  
_

Sora hurried his way through the tedious task of brushing before spitting his toothpaste out. He made sure to finish rinsing his mouth out with water before answering Ven.

“Yeah, we swordfight all the time. Riku’s really strong so it’s tough to beat him, but I’m getting better!” He didn’t mention that Riku kept getting better too, which made catching up to him all the more challenging.

_Sounds like my friend Terra. No matter how much I trained, every time we sparred he would always wipe the floor with me in the end.  
_

Ven’s voice seemed to trail off and Sora got the impression that he was frowning inside him. He wondered where their conversation took a bad turn.

“What’s wrong? Are you sad?” He felt like Ven was sad. It was just like the other night when he started crying for no reason and his chest felt like it was being squeezed. 

_A little. I was just thinking about my friends, Terra and Aqua, and how I don’t really know what happened to them after I got hurt. I wish I could make sure they’re okay, but I don’t even know how long it’ll be before I see them again._

Sora crossed his arms over his chest and thought. He wanted to help Ven feel better, but it wasn’t like he could find his friends for him. It sounded like they were really far away. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

“You know, Riku told me something the other night. He said that ‘every world is connected by one great big sky’. I didn’t really get it at the time, but if every world is connected, doesn’t that mean they’re always together? Like us, we’re connected now, so even if you were to go back to your body, we’d still be together in our hearts. I’m sure you and you’re friends are connected too. And so you’ll always be able to find your way back to each other. You just have to follow that connection.” There was a moment of silence after Sora said his piece. He hoped he said the right thing. It seemed important that Ven understood what he was trying to say.

_An unbreakable connection…you’re right Sora. My friends and I share a bond that can never be severed. I’ll find them again one day, I’m sure of it._

Sora felt warm and happy at those words. He was glad he was able to help Ven feel better. After all, that’s what friends did for each other. 

“I know you will. And when that time comes I’ll help you out. We have our own connection now, so we’ll always be friends no matter what.” Just like him and Riku. Their hearts had already touched, and there were no take-backs on friendship.

_Thanks Sora. You know, you’re a pretty smart kid._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone so much for reading! Please let me know what you think about this chapter as well! I might get another chapter out again soon but don't expect this trend to go on for long, I'm sure my steam will slow down eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora introduces Ven and Riku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's to chapter three! Thank you everyone who's read and commented so far, every kudos and comment fills me with joy and excitement for what is to come!

The trip to Riku’s house wasn’t long; he only lived a couple of blocks down the road from him. It was a path Sora was well acquainted with; he could probably make the trip with his eyes closed he walked it so often. It only took his Mom and him a few minutes before they were on the front porch ringing the doorbell. There was the sound of muffled footsteps on the other side of the door before it was opened by Riku’s Grandma. Her eyes fell on him and Sora quickly found himself standing straighter. Riku’s Grandma was usually pretty nice, but she could be stern about the weirdest things sometimes. She tended to get on his case about slouching too much and how he’d develop back problems if he kept it up. 

“Good morning Gracia, how are you today?” his Mom smiled brightly at her, even if it was a little forced. The two adults didn’t exactly like each other all that much; Mom said she was a free spirit and that the elder woman was ‘an old Grinch who’d never had a day of fun in her life’, but he wasn’t allowed to repeat that to anyone. They generally tried to at least pretend to get along whenever he and Riku were around though.

“Can’t complain, wouldn’t do any good even if I did.” With her attention now directed at his Mom, Sora quietly let out the breath he’d been holding and allowed his shoulders to relax a bit. He could hear Ven’s voice laughing at him.

_She intimidates you, huh?_

Sora pouted; figures that Ven would be able to pick up on that when he was inside him. He wondered if he was able to feel whatever Sora was feeling. That was definitely something to add to his ever-growing list of questions. He mumbled quietly so the adults wouldn’t hear his response, even if they were busy faking pleasantries to one another at the moment.

“You have no idea.” There was the echo of more footsteps as Riku appeared in the doorway with his backpack slung over his shoulder. A smile instantly lit up Sora’s face as they made eye contact. Sure he saw Riku almost every day, but he was always happy to see his best friend. “Morning Riku!” he waved at the other child as Riku smiled back.

“Morning Sora, you ready for today?” They had made plans to go through one of the tunnels they had found the other day and see if it lead to the other side of the island. Since it was uncharted territory for them, they both had agreed to pack extra clothes and snacks in case they needed them while they explored. Sora grinned in response.

“You know it! I’ve got everything we talked about!” He was so excited to go on this adventure with Riku, and now Ven would be with them as well! He was about to try and introduce the two of them when his Mom cut his thought short.

“Well we’d best be off. We want to make sure they have plenty of time to have fun before I pick them up for lunch in a few hours.” That was how things usually went; the adults didn’t want them on the island by themselves for too long until they were older, so they would get a couple of hours to play before his Mom took them back to the mainland to eat. Sometimes they’d get to go back in the evening for longer when his Mom didn’t have work and could stay on the island with them until it was time to leave. Luckily, today was one of those days.

“Just make sure you get him home before dark this time. I’m making dinner and I’d like him to actually be able to eat it while it’s warm.” With that she turned to Riku and gave him a short hug. “Be good, have fun, and I’ll see you tonight.” Riku hugged her back before walking over to join Sora and his Mom as they left.

“Bye Bela, see you tonight.” Together the three of them started walking towards the crosswalk at the other end of the sidewalk. They made it about two houses down before they heard her voice calling after them.

“And stop slouching Sora, you’re going to slip a disk one of these days!” Sora, who had in fact resumed his normal posture, shot up straight and quickly looked behind them to see if she had followed behind. She was nowhere in sight, presumably still on her front porch.

“How does she _do_ that?” he groaned and threw his hands up in disbelief. He swore that woman had eyes everywhere; there was no other explanation. There was a resounding chorus of laughter as his Mom, Riku, and Ven all seemed to find amusement in his suffering. Traitors, the whole lot of them.

_It might have something to do with how your footsteps get louder when you’re more relaxed. They softened when you walked standing straight._

That sounded fake; there was no way Riku’s Grandma had good enough hearing to be able to know that. He was about to say as much when his Mom spoke up.

“So, what does my favorite pair of swashbucklers have planned for today?” Reminded of their goals for the day, Sora excitedly went off about the passageway they’d discovered while Riku gave input about the preparations they had made. They kept up a constant chatter as they made their way to the docks where his Mom’s boat was kept. It wasn’t anything big or fancy, just a simple rowboat that had enough space to fit around three people, four if they didn’t mind squeezing in. Besides, the island wasn’t that far away. It was just removed enough that most people didn’t really bother going there.

Hopping into the boat, Sora looked out across the ocean. There was nothing quite like the open waters. It filled Sora’s mind with thoughts of exploration and adventure, there was so much out there that he’d never experienced. He wanted to see more, one day, and he knew Riku felt the same. They’d travel to other worlds together once they were old enough, he was sure of it. Even if no one else thought there was anything more out there, as long as he and Riku still believed then they’d make it happen.

It wasn’t long before their boat was pulling up to the old dock that remained on the island. There were tree houses and other wooden structures around the small island so Sora guessed there use to be a time where more people came here. From the state they were in now though, he could tell it’d been a long time since anyone had taken care of this place.

Sora and Riku quickly jumped out of the boat and onto the dock; making aure they had their bags and everything with them. His Mom stayed seated at the oars and smiled up at them.

“You know the rules; no going in the water past your knees, no climbing anything you can’t hop down from, make sure you stay hydrated, and don’t wander away from each other. Stay safe, and I’ll be back around lunchtime to pick you up. If anything happens before then, Riku’s in charge.” They nodded their heads in agreement, having heard these instructions many times before. When she got to the last point though, Sora pouted at her.

“How come Riku’s always the one who’s in charge?” He wanted to be the leader every now and then. But every time they were left alone it was always Riku who was given the responsibility.

“Because Riku’s the oldest, so you have to listen to what he tells you.” That didn’t seem fair to Sora; Riku would always be older than him so that meant he’d never get to be in charge. He crossed his arms over his chest and grumbled.

“Ven’s older though.” He might not know exactly how old the other boy was, but he definitely seemed to be at least in his teens. That put him way above both him and Riku. His Mom let out a bark of laughter.

“Well, as soon as Ven can keep you in line or stop you from falling out of a tree and cracking your head open, I’ll let him be in charge. Until then, follow Riku’s directions and I’ll see you around noon.” With that, she turned the boat around and headed back to the mainland. Sora groaned in frustration, so much for that. He turned around to see Riku watching him in confusion.

“Hey Sora? Who’s Ven?” Oh yeah, he guessed he still hadn’t gotten to introduce the two of them yet. He put his hand to his chin as he thought about how exactly to go about this. 

“Ven’s a new friend I made. His heart was hurt in a fight and so he’s taking shelter in my heart to heal until he gets better. I can visit him when I’m asleep and hear his voice and talk to him while I’m awake. We only just met last night, and we don’t really know much about how all this works, but he’s really nice and I’m sure the three of us can all be friends!” at lease, he hoped they could. He really wanted Riku and Ven to get along so that they could all have fun together. Riku seemed to think this over for a moment before responding.

“Last night, huh? Do you think he has anything to do with why you were crying then? Was he the one who was hurting?” That was a good question; Sora hadn’t even thought to make that connection. The more he thought about it though the more it made sense. After all, Ven had said that Sora was the one who had called out to him. And last night he’d tried opening up his heart like Riku had told him to, and then the sad feeling went away.

“Probably! Hey Ven, were you sad last night? Before we met?” he waited patiently for Ven to respond. It seemed to take him a moment of thinking before he spoke.

_Yeah, I was sad. Like I told you before, my body is sleeping somewhere while my heart works on putting itself back together. If I’d stayed on my own, I’d probably just be sleeping too. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I didn’t want to be alone during that time. That was when I heard you call out to me, and I was able to join you._

That was fair; Sora didn’t like being alone for too long either. Especially if he didn’t know when he’d be able to see anyone again. That sounded downright scary. He nodded his head in understanding before addressing Riku.

“Yeah, that was him. He said he was nervous that he’d have to be all by himself while he got better. But now that you’re with me, Ven, you don’t have to worry about being alone! I’ll be here to keep you company! And so will Mom and Mama and Riku too! Right Riku?” He turned to grin at his best friend who soon smiled back at him.

“Sure, that’s what friends do after all. We look out for each other.” Riku tilted his head in consideration. “Although, I have to wonder where Ven came from. Is he from another world?” Sora perked up at that. He hadn’t though to ask that question yet; he knew that Ven wasn’t from around here, but another world? That would be amazing, and it would prove that other worlds really did exist beyond their own.

“I don’t know. Ven?” There was silence as Ven pondered his answer. He sighed before answering the two curious children.

_I’m not really supposed to tell you this, but as long as I’m here I might as well be honest. You have to keep it a secret though, okay? Most people aren’t supposed to know about there being other worlds out there._

Soras hand shot into the air in excitement. This was the greatest news ever! All of his and Riku’s planning about leaving the islands one day to find adventure weren’t for nothing. They really could do it one day.

“He said yes Riku! There really are other worlds, we were right!” he couldn’t stop grinning in delight. “Oh, he said we gotta keep it a secret from others though. So it’ll have to stay just between the three of us.” He could do that; he was a great secret keeper. Riku nodded his head.

“Alright, it’s a promise. That means we have to train harder so that we’re ready when we leave here one day.” With that, Riku turned and started jogging towards the beach. Sora hurriedly took off to try and not get left behind.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Soon they were both running full sprint across the sand. What started off as just trying to get to the tunnel had evidently become another race between the two of them. Sora was able to catch up to Riku pretty quickly, but didn’t have the stamina to maintain that speed. He started to lag behind just as they arrived at the passageway.

“No fair, you got a head start!” he had to pant to try and steady his breathing. Riku wasn’t nearly as out of breath as Sora was, but he still had a red flush to his cheeks from exertion.

“Fine, we’ll have a real race later then.” This was a common occurrence between the two boys. They always had competitions with just about anything, from running and sword fighting to seeing who could eat the most pineapple and still feel their tongue afterwards. He had a retort ready when he was cut off by Ven talking.

_Hey Sora, you told me earlier that you and Riku liked to fight against each other. And then just now he said something about training to leave one day. Are you two planning going to other worlds?_

Sora nodded his head, knowing that Ven would feel the gesture even if he couldn’t see it.

“Yup! We’re gonna leave the island one day and go exploring! There’s gotta be so much more to see and experience, and we don’t want to miss out on it. So we’re training to get strong enough to be prepared for whatever’s out there.” An idea suddenly came to him and he quickly turned back to Riku. “Hey, do you think since Ven’s from another world he might be able to help us out? I mean, he even talked about being in a big fight so he’s gotta be pretty strong right? And he might know about how to get off the island!” Their current plan was to build a raft and set sail, but they weren’t really sure where that would lead them. If Ven knew of another way to find other worlds then they could be more certain of where they were going.

“Yeah, that’s a great idea! He can help us train and tell us about the other worlds out there.” Riku smiled in excitement before turning to head through the underpass.

_Hey now, don’t I get any say in this?_

Sora laughed and shook his head in amusement.

“Nope! You’re our friend now, so that means you’re along for the ride! Besides, you wouldn’t want us to go off to another world unprepared would you?” Ven was the oldest of the three of them anyway, even if Mom had said Riku was in charge he got the feeling that Ven would feel responsible for them. There was silence on the other end before he heard a long sigh.

_Yeah fine, I’ll help you guys out. But you have to listen to what I tell you then, okay? If I’m going to help train you two, I’m going to do it right. And no trying to leave the islands until I’ve told you that you’re ready. Deal?_

Sounded fair to Sora. Ven was the one with the most experience so he’d probably know best when they were properly prepared. He wished they could shake on it, that was what people did when they made deals wasn’t it? But with Ven not having a body, the most Sora could do to confirm their agreement was nod his head.

“Alright, deal!” With that decided, Sora took off into the tunnel to follow after Riku, brimming with excitement. Inside Sora, Ven had the feeling this was going to be a long wait until he was able to get back to his body. At least it wouldn’t be boring though.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baby Riku is...hard to write. At least for now. Hopefully as I write more it'll come to me more easily. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Now I have a question, should I write a few more filler chapters showing their every day life as Ven and Sora grow closer? Or should I skip ahead to the next meaty chapter with plot in it? I have plans for both, so let me know which you'd prefer! Thank you so much for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ven nips a problem in the bud

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I can't believe how quickly I was able to bang this out. I probably shouldn't be writing these at work though. Oh well. We're skipping ahead a few months, but not much has been missed during this time! I'm probably gonna be keeping this story to pre-canon for now and then have the other stories in the series be dedicated to the actual games story lines. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

The sky was starting to get dark above them as the sun made its way below the horizon. Sora and Riku stood on the beach just outside their houses, face to face with their wooden swords drawn as they each waited for the other to make the first strike. Inevitably, as was the usual case, Sora’s patience ran out first as he made a direct attack on the other boy. Their weapons met and the spar picked up speed as they each swung and dodged each other’s strikes. This was the point where Riku would usually fall back and bait the other into a reckless charge, dodging at the last minute and winning the match with his own attack to the boy’s back. Those days had long since passed however. With the addition of their new friend to these fights, Ven’s guidance had helped them each improve in leaps and bounds. In the months that had passed since he had first joined them, he had observed each of their competitions and given them tips on where their strengths lied and what they still needed to work on. It was all still child’s play, but now the two of them were actually thinking about what they were doing, rather than simply swinging their swords mindlessly. Ven was proud of how far they’d come already, both boys eager to learn and quick to pick up on his advice.

The night was rapidly approaching though, and the two children couldn’t spar forever. In the end, it came down to a contest of brute strength as they each pushed against the other. Sora’s arms gave out first, and his sword was knocked out of his hands.

“Aww man, now it’s six to four. I thought I could tie with you this time.” He bent down to pick up his toy weapon, arms sore from the effort he’d exuded trying to hold Riku at bay. He could hear the other boy laughing good naturedly as he stood back up. When their eyes met, Riku was smiling at him.

“Hey, I can’t let you beat me that easily can I? Besides, at least you’ve improved enough that it’s not ten to zero anymore, right?” Sora had to give him that. Things really had changed over the past few months. He still crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at the other boy though.

“It’s not like you haven’t gotten better too. I need to work twice as hard so that I can catch up to you!” It wasn’t about beating Riku, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to surpass the older boy. But he wanted to be just as strong as him, strong enough to fight as equals and have each other’s backs. His thoughts were interrupted as Ven spoke up.

_You’ll get there eventually Sora, you both did great today. That last match especially could have gone either way. That’s going to have to be it for now though. It’s getting late and Riku has to get up early tomorrow, remember?_

Sora frowned at the reminder. He wanted to spend longer playing with Riku, but Ven had a point. If they stayed out any longer his Mama might come looking for them, or worse, Riku’s Grandma.

“Sora?” He looked up to see Riku watching him, waiting for him to say something. He’d quickly gotten used to Sora going quiet as he listened to Ven, and usually waited patiently for him to relay whatever the other boy had said. Sora’s frowning must have prompted him to speak up though. Sora just sighed and slumped his shoulders. 

“Do you _have_ to go to school tomorrow?” It was Riku’s first day of kindergarten, and no matter how much Sora begged, his moms wouldn’t let him go with the other boy. They just kept saying he would start school next year.

“Of course I do, I’m five now. I have to go to class with everyone else my age.” It was the same response he’d gotten any time he asked. He knew the answer wouldn’t change, but still he wished it didn’t have to happen. Why couldn’t he have been born a year earlier like Riku? His thoughts were interrupted when the older boy put a hand on his head. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll still see you when I get home tomorrow. And I’ll tell you all about school then, promise.” He smiled at him, and after a moment Sora smiled back, even if it didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“Okay! I guess that just means I’ll have more time to train on my own so I can catch up to you sooner.” He put his arms behind his head and turned to start heading back towards the sidewalk. He could hear Riku walking along behind him as they made their way to their houses. Riku’s was the first to come up, the lights on the front porch already lit in the darkness. He guessed it had gotten later than he had thought.

He turned around to see Riku watching him with a slight frown on his face. Sora forced a smile on his face and quickly latched onto the other boy in a hug. And if Sora held on a little tighter than usual, no one needed to know. Letting go, he waved at Riku with a grin.

“Night Riku! See you tomorrow!” With that he turned and ran off towards his own house. As he got further away from where he’d left his friend, he started to slow down until he was walking at a steady pace. He tried to keep smiling as he looked down at the sidewalk.

_Hey Sora, let’s take a nap tomorrow. I have a surprise for you._

‘Take a nap’ was code for ‘visit his heart’. Whenever he or Ven wanted to see each other face to face, Sora would go to sleep for a while to talk. He’d gotten pretty good at falling asleep on the fly, now being able to take a nap anytime, anywhere. His Mama told him he shouldn’t sleep so much, but Mom seemed to think it was funny how much he enjoyed slumbering when other kids his age wanted to stay up late past their bedtime. He already saw Ven every night, so if he was asking ahead of time for Sora to take a nap, he must have something big planned. That made the smile on his face a bit more genuine as he pondered what it could be in anticipation. Before he knew it, he had already arrived at his house.

“We’re home!” He shouted his greeting into the hallway as he closed the front door behind him. Sitting on the floor, he worked on taking his shoes off. They still had Velcro straps, but Ven had promised to teach him how to tie actual shoes when he finally got a pair of lace up ones. Putting the pair of shows in the cubby, he stood up and turned around to see his Mom’s head peaking out from the kitchen.

“Hey moon pie, did you have fun at the beach? Sorry I couldn’t take you guys to the island today.” Sunday’s were a day off for Mom, but their kitchen sink had backed up and she needed to stay home while the plumber worked on it.

“That’s okay, we still had a great time! Is the sink all fixed now?” She let out a dramatic sigh as she rubbed the back of her head.

“I wish. Apparently they need to order a part from a shop on the other side of the island. Said it’d be at least three days before it can come in. So that means takeout and paper plates for the next few nights until we can wash dishes again.” Sora perked up at that and sniffed the air. He thought he smelt something good when he first came in.

“What’d we get? Please tell me you got the-“

“The string bean chicken with eggrolls? Who do you think I am? Of course I did! I know what my boy likes.” She grinned at him as Sora rushed into the kitchen to see the takeout boxes already spread out across the table. They rarely got takeout, both his moms liked to cook and Mama said it wasn’t healthy to eat it too often. So it was always a nice treat when the occasion came up. Mama was already sitting at the table so he hurried over to join her. As soon as he and Mom were seated, they started passing around the boxes to dish out onto their paper plates. Once everyone was served, his Mama spoke up.

“So, what did you and Riku do at the beach today? Find any crabs buried in the sand?” Sora shook his head, while they could usually spot at least a couple of crabs bubbling up from the wet sand, today was surprisingly barren. They didn’t even come across any of the funny shaped ones.

“No, no crabs today. Oh, but we did see some jellyfish washed up on shore.” Sora had wanted to toss them back into the ocean, but Riku and Ven had stopped him before he could touch one and accidentally get stung. “Mostly we did sword fighting. I almost tied with him too! It ended up being six to four, but the last match was really close! Ven even said it could have gone either way, but I still get tired quicker than Riku does.” That was one of the things Ven kept telling him he needed to work on, building up his stamina so he could go on for longer. But no matter how much running he did, he was always the one out of breath before Riku.

_Don’t be discouraged; gaining endurance takes time. Besides, you’re already much better than you were when we first met._

“You really think so? It doesn’t seem like it.” Even if he’d gotten better at fighting it appeared that stamina would always be the bane of his existence.

“What did Ven say this time?” He looked up to see his moms watching his with amusement. They always seemed to like hearing what Ven had to say. It was nice to have someone else interested in Ven; other than the two of them he only really got to talk about his friend with Riku.

“He said I shouldn’t be discouraged, and that I’m stronger than I was before.” Ven was constantly encouraging him; it was nice having someone always be there to build him up. They’d become really close in the time they’d known each other, it was hard not to when they were literally with each other every moment, their hearts always connected.

“Well, I’d say he’s right about that. You said it yourself; you almost tied with Riku today. I’m sure you’ll be beating him in no time.” His Mom grinned at him before taking another bite of her food. Sora wasn’t sure he’d go that far, but it was reassuring to know that she believed in him.

They continued to eat their dinner as they made idle conversation. Sora listened to his moms talk for a while before tuning it out to focus on his meal. As they were caught up in their chatter, he finished well before they were done. He stood and took his dish over to the trashcan, tossing out the disposable plate along with any scraps that remained.

“Sora, do you want to help me work on the garden in the morning?” Turning, he saw Mama smiling at him with some concern hidden in her eyes. He could tell that she was tying to distract him from the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Riku until late tomorrow. She had a small patch of herbs and vegetables in their front yard she liked to pick ingredients from, and he usually enjoyed seeing and smelling all the tasty stuff that went into their food. He appreciated that she was trying to make him feel better, but at the same time it only reminded him of what she was trying to distract him from. He shook his head and smiled at her.

“Maybe another day, Ven said he had a surprise for me so I’m probably gonna take a long nap tomorrow.” Mama frowned at him briefly before sighing.

“Alright, but not too long okay? I don’t like you sleeping too much.” She turned back to her food as Mom chuckled and waved her off. 

“It’s fine Aiko, be glad that he sleeps at all. I was talking to Jecht the other day and apparently their boy Tidus keeps them up at all hours of the morning refusing to go to bed. Besides, he’s young; let him have his naps while he still can.”

“It’s because he’s young that having a regular sleep schedule is so important.”

Sora let them continue their discussion as he headed upstairs to get ready for bed. As their voices faded the farther away he got, he found himself thinking more about Riku going to school tomorrow. His mood dropped the longer his mind lingered, and before he knew it he was already dressed in his pajamas without remembering putting them on in the first place. He got too engrossed in his thoughts sometimes that he just went on autopilot with whatever task he was doing. It was a good thing when he was doing something boring and he had fun things to daydream about. But right now he just found that he was sad. There was a knock on the door to his room, so he smiled as he turned to see his Mom make her way in.

“Hey bedbug, all ready to go to sleep?” She walked over as he crawled onto the mattress. Once he’d settled in under the sheets, she leaned down to pull the covers up to his chin. Leaning down, she placed a kiss on his head. “Mama will be up in a bit to say goodnight, she’s just putting the leftovers in the fridge. Sweet dreams, I’ll see you in the morning.” He looked at her in confusion.

“Mom, I told you I don’t get dreams anymore. I just visit Ven in my heart now.” It was a weird side effect of having the other share his heart. Instead of having mindless sleep or vivid dreams, he always ended up on the island in his heart. He sometimes missed having normal dreams, but Ven always told him stories of other worlds he’d journeyed to. It was more interesting than any dreams his mind could have come up with. His Mom just huffed out a laugh.

“Okay then, you and Ven have a ‘sweet visit’ then. I love you.” She turned off the lights and left the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, Sora found his eyes drifting closed. He wanted to stay up so he could say goodnight to Mama, but he was pretty tired from playing with Riku all day. Before he knew it, he was opening his eyes again to see clouds drifting above him. Why did he always wake up lying in the sand?

Sitting up, he stretched his arms above his head before getting to his feet. He looked around him, searching for where Ven could be waiting, before his eyes spotted him sitting on the Paopu tree. Sora quickly made is way through the shed and across the bridge to meet with his friend. Upon arriving, he found the boy staring at his hands, or rather the objects he held in each of them. In the one hand he held a Paopu fruit, Sora had already had to explain to the other boy about the tradition of sharing one to tie your destiny with someone else. In his other hand, he held what looked like a star made out of glass. It was green and silver and sparkled in the light of the sun. He’d never seen it before, and wondered where Ven had gotten it.

“Hey Sora?” Startled out of his thoughts by the sound of Ven’s voice, he looked up to see the blond looking at him with a frown on his face. Sora gave a small smile in response.

“Hey Ven, what’s going on?” It seemed like the older boy had something to say. They hadn’t come to the Paopu tree since the time he told Ven about the legend. He had the feeling Ven was avoiding it for some reason, so for him to be here now had to mean something. He just didn’t know what.

“Nothing’s really going on, I’ve just been thinking about something. Sora, you know it’s okay to be sad, right?” The smile dropped from Sora’s face and he quickly tried to put it back on to no avail. What he accomplished looked more like a strained grin.

“Well yeah, duh. Why do you ask?” he tried to brush it off, but that only seemed to make Ven’s frown deepen.

“See, I don’t think you do. You’ve been sad all day, and yet you keep smiling. Even when you don’t want to smile, you put a grin on your face and laugh off everyone’s concerns. It’s all right to let yourself just be sad. You don’t have to force yourself to be happy all the time.” The more Ven spoke, the harder it was to keep his chin up. He forgot sometimes, forgot that Ven was older than him and knew a lot more about feelings and people and how to read them. Never mind the fact that Sora could never really hide anything from him anyway, not when he was inside his heart. He could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes and tried to suppress them.

“But-but if I’m sad then _they’ll_ be sad and I don’t want to upset them or make them worry and if I’m happy then they smile and laugh and everything will be alright.” He found himself rambling off excuses, and the more he spoke the harder it was to contain his tears and now Ven was gonna be sad because he was crying and-

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Ven smiling at him. Here Sora was, about to fall apart at the seams, and Ven was still smiling. He wasn’t frowning or fretting; there were no traces of worry or pity in his eyes. He was just smiling gently at the younger boy.

“You don’t need to pretend, not here, not with me. You’re allowed to cry, to be sad, that’s part of being human. Feeling things, good and bad, that just means you have a heart.” It was like a dam burst inside him. He threw himself at the other boy, wrapping his arms around him and burying his head in his chest as the tears finally spilled over. He shook as sobs wracked his body and once it started he couldn’t stop.

“I’m just so sc-scared. What if Riku goes to school and makes new friends and forgets about me? He’s my best friend and he’s leaving me behind. He’s so nice and cool and everyone’s gonna want to be his friend and they’ll replace me. He’ll have all these newer friends that he can see every day at school and then he won’t need me anymore. I’m gonna miss him so much while he’s having fun meeting new people and moving on without me.”

Ven’s arms wrapped around Sora in a comforting embrace. His hand went up and down his back, tracing a soothing pattern into his spine. He didn’t say anything, not yet. He just let Sora cry everything out, all his sadness and worries, his fears and doubts and every thought that had been haunting him all day. When Sora ran out of words, he continued to just cry out his tears. He wasn’t sure how long passed, but eventually he found his breathing steady itself. His eyes seemed to run dry, and sobs no longer shook his body. He relaxed against the other boy, who’s calming embrace never wavered. After a while of silence, Sora eventually leaned back out of the hug. Looking up, he saw Ven still smiling at him.

“There, do you feel better now that you’ve gotten all that out?” Sora blinked in surprise. Now that Ven mentioned it, he did feel different. While crying had definitely tired him out a bit, he also felt a lot calmer now.

“Yeah, I do. Before it was like there was something squeezing in my chest, but that’s gone now.” He felt peaceful for the first time in a few days, ever since he had heard that Riku would be starting school without him.

“That’s good, I know it’s never fun to be sad, but it’s not good to keep it all bottled up inside you either. Sometimes you just need to let go and cry, it can even be healing when you need to.” Propping himself back against the trunk of the tree, Ven looked up at the sky above them. “Now, where to begin unpacking all that?”

“Huh?” Sora looked at him in confusion. First he’d been crying and now Ven was talking about luggage?

“That’s the next step. First you cry out your feelings, and then you start taking apart your worries. The more you break them down, the smaller they seem to become. Then, once only the big worries are left, you work on trying to find a solution to the problem.” Ven turned his head and grinned at him. “Aqua taught me that. She wasn’t always good at following her own advice, but I’ve found it usually works for me.” Sora liked Aqua; she always seemed nice in the stories that the other boy would share with him. She was also super smart according to Ven, so if she was the one to come up with this idea that probably meant it was a good one.

“Let’s start with making new friends.” Ven glanced at him before turning his gaze to the ocean in front of them. “Sure he’s probably going to make new friends, that’s one of the best parts of life. Meeting new people and making those connections, it’s what allows us to share joy with one another. Does that mean he’s going to forget about you? Not at all.” He looked at Sora again and pointed to himself. “Did you forget about Riku when you and I became friends?” Sora shook his head. “No, instead you introduced the two of us in hopes that we could all get along together.” Ven crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head in thought.

“Now, is he leaving you behind? That ones a little trickier to answer. I’m sure it feels like he’s moving on without you, but that’s just part of having older friends. They grow up and do things faster than you, but they’ll always be waiting for you to catch up on the other side. And don’t get me started on being replaced. Let me tell you right now, there is no such thing as a replaceable friend. Every person is different, and every friendship makes a different connection in your heart. I’ve made so many friends on my journey. Aqua and Terra, Cinderella and Jaq, Lea and Isa, they’re all irreplaceable friends I’ve met that will never leave my heart. You and Riku too.” He turned to look at Sora again. A smile lit up his face and Sora couldn’t help but smile back. Not a pretend smile either, but a real one. The more Ven spoke, the less important all his worries seemed to be. He was right; Riku would always be his best friend, and even if he had to share him with others, that was okay. Just like he shared him with Ven. The other boy watched him for a moment before shrugging.

“As for missing him, that’s not something I can help you with. You’ll always miss him when he’s not around, that just shows how close you two are. But still, even when you’re apart, your hearts are connected. And so long as that connection exists, you’ll always be able to see each other again. Remember what you told me before? ‘One great big sky’.” Sora laughed, he’d forgotten about what he’d said to Ven all those months ago, but apparently the other boy had not. Nodding his head, he smiled at the other boy.

“Thanks Ven, I feel a lot better now.” The older boy always seemed to know just what to say. Maybe it was something that came with being older than him. Or perhaps it had something to do with Ven being inside his heart. He supposed it didn’t really matter.

“No problem. Remember, I’m always here for you Sora. I’m a part of your heart now; you don’t have to ever pretend around me.” He gave the younger boy one last hug; holding on until Sora ended it himself. 

“So, what was the surprise you had?” Sora was still curious about what Ven could have planned. Was it a ruse just to get Sora in here so they could talk? Or did Ven really have something else he wanted to share with him.

“Well, I’ll have to finish explaining tomorrow, but I guess I can at least start telling you now. It’s a surprise just for you though, so you can’t go telling Riku about it. I’ll talk to him in his own time.” Sora’s curiosity was definitely piqued at that. Besides telling him about there being other worlds, Ven had never asked him to keep anything a secret before. And to even say he couldn’t tell Riku yet? He wondered what was so important. He nodded his head in agreement. 

“What is it?” Ven smiled at him and held out his hand. Nothing happened at first, but then suddenly there was light. A flash sparked in between them, and when the light had faded, Ven was holding an object in his hand. It was long, about the length of Ven’s arm. It was mostly grey, with gold and black accents spread across it. He was holding it by the handle, while the rest of the item was curved away from him. Ven smiled at him.

“This, Sora, is a keyblade.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I promised fluff, and I did deliver the fluff! Just, with a side of angst that's all. It just happened! Besides, it's about time someone told Sora he didn't need to be happy all the time. Next chapter the boys are gonna be meeting someone new! Any guesses as to who it is? I hope everyone liked this chapter, and please leave a comment below! I love reading them and they always spark my motivation! Thank you as always for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a year...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave me trouble at the beginning but I think I'm happy with how it turned out! Thank you so much to everyone who's left all the wonderful comments on this story, they are a joy to read and always get me wanting to write!

Sora lay on the beach; his back warmed by the sand and arm reaching towards the sky. With his hand spread, he could see the sunbeams as they filtered through his fingers. It was a rare, quiet moment. Riku hadn’t arrived yet and Ven was silent, leaving Sora to his thoughts. He imagined what it would be like to hold a keyblade in his outstretched hand; to feel the balanced weight of it in his palm, the assurance of its protection, and the confidence to wield it. What would it look like, he wondered? Would it be curved and metallic like Vens? Or would it be straighter, more sword-like? In the time since he’d been told about the existence of these weapons, he’d found himself often pondering his own hypothetical keyblade. Ven had told him that he had the potential to wield one someday, that his heart was strong and full of light. He’d also said it wouldn’t materialize for some time though, not until the moment was right. It was almost strange how much Sora wanted something he had no idea existed a few months ago. But the keyblade, something about it resonated with him. To have the ability to explore other worlds, and the power to protect those he cared about, all in one package. It was everything he and Riku had dreamed of. Riku couldn’t know though, not yet. Ven said he’d tell him in time, but that Sora had to keep it to himself for now. He’d never kept anything from his best friend before, but between Riku attending kindergarten and training whenever they were together, he didn’t have the chance to tell him even if he could.

Today was special though, it marked a year since Ven’s heart had joined his and they’d all become friends. Riku had promised to meet up with him as soon as he got home from school so the three of them could celebrate together. Sora had even convinced his Mom to bake a cake for the occasion, although she found the whole idea amusing for some reason. It was a big deal though, like a birthday or an anniversary. Riku had pointed out that the older boy wouldn’t even be able to eat the cake, but Ven had reassured him that he still appreciated the gesture.

“Hey, I’m surprised you’re not sleeping. I figured you and Ven would have started the party without me.” Sora turned his head to see Riku standing next to him. He must have been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the other boy approaching. He grinned as he sat up.

“We wouldn’t do that, it’s hard to have a party with just the two of us. Besides, it’s nice to just think to yourself sometimes.” While he would never get tired of having Ven with him, they did make sure to give each other space every now and then. It was important that they have time to themselves to sort out their thoughts and feelings, or even just to enjoy the quiet.

_How was school today?_

Sora stretched as he stood, muscles having relaxed to the point of near-sleep while he’d lain there. Shaking out his limbs, he turned to smile at his friend.

“Ven wants to know how class went.” Sora’s fears about Riku forgetting him had turned out to be unfounded after all. While the other boy had in fact made some new friends, he always came back home to play with Sora in the evening. He was glad that Riku was having a good time at school; he had Ven to keep him company after all so it made sense that Riku have friends to spend his day with as well.

“It was fine, we made macaroni stars in crafts, but I think mine looked more like a Paopu fruit. It was too round.” Riku made a face as he spoke, art was not one of his strong points. He always seemed to make everything too big or too dark or ‘too round’. “Oh, and Wakka’s yogurt pack exploded all over the table at lunch.”

Sora laughed with a snort; Wakka was one of Riku’s new friends who always seemed to be getting into trouble. He sounded like a nice guy, just accident-prone.

“What flavor was it?” He didn’t bother asking how it’d exploded. Sora had his own experiences with trying to open those plastic packets by himself and it never went well. Riku grinned at him mischievously.

“Strawberry. There was pink goop everywhere, especially on Wakka. He was covered in the stuff. You would think after the glue incident he’d have learned to bring a spare change of clothes to school, but apparently not. He spent the rest of the day complaining about how sticky he felt.” Sora broke into a fit of giggles. He really wanted to meet Wakka one day, and hopefully he’d get to witness one of these ‘incidents’ first hand.

_Well now that we’re all here, we should head inside so you two can eat that cake you insisted be made in my honor._

Sora groaned and threw his arms up in the air.

“You said you appreciated the thought! It’s not my fault you can’t actually eat anything, I thought it’d be nice to celebrate anyway.” He could hear Riku laughing at him from his side and turned to glare at him.

“He’s just teasing you Sora, I’m sure he’s glad that you wanted to throw him a party anyways.” Sora pouted, everyone always found amusement at his expense. It was Ven’s party though, so he supposed he’d let it slide.

_I really am happy that you thought of doing this for me. It really means a lot that you’d want to celebrate me being here._

Sora grinned and crossed his arms behind his head.

“Of course silly, you’re one of our best friends now! We had to do something to show it! And since we don’t really know if birthdays mean anything while you’re just a heart, marking a year since we met seemed like a good idea.” With that he and Riku turned to make their way into Sora’s house. It’d been a while since he’d had Riku over; usually they just met up on the beach to play or went to the island. Opening the front door, he quickly toed his shoes off and waited for Riku to do the same.

“Mom! Mama! Riku’s here!” As soon as they’d both removed their shoes, the boys made their way over to the kitchen. Mama was leaning against the counter while Mom appeared to be putting the finishing touches on the cake. It wasn’t anything extravagant, just a simple chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. Mom liked to personalize cakes though, so she had a bag of green decoration frosting to write letters on it.

“Hey sugar bear, what do you think?” Hopping on a chair, Sora peaked his head over the counter to see what she was writing. There in big green letters were the words ‘Happy Birthday Ven’. He let out a sigh as Ven laughed inside him.

“Mom, you know it’s not actually his birthday, right?” By the stunned look on her face, she most certainly did not. He could hear Mama laughing at them.

“So what exactly is it we’re supposed to be celebrating then?” She looked down at her cake in confusion. He supposed that it was a normal assumption that if you were making a cake it was usually for a birthday. Riku spoke up as he walked over to join them.

“It’s been a year since we met Ven, so we wanted to show our appreciation for him being our friend.” Sora nodded in agreement. It was a perfectly understandable reason to celebrate. After all, Ven had helped them out so much since he’d come into their lives. It was only fair they thank him somehow.

“Right, and yet you two are the ones eating the cake.” His Mama gave him a mirthful smile, clearly implying that this was just an excuse to eat cake. Sora took offense to that! He was about to say as much when Ven cut him off.

_The cake looks delicious anyway, and it was nice of her to try and personalize it in the first place. Can you thank them for me?_

Nodding his head, he turned his attention back to his Mom.

“Ven says thank you for the cake, and that it looks delicious even if he wont be able to eat it.” Message delivered, he grabbed Riku by the arm and dragged him over to the kitchen table so they could sit down and be served. Mom chuckled as she carried the cake over.

“Well then, tell Ven it was no problem at all. It was fun to bake something for once, all I ever do is cook dinners nowadays.” Placing the cake on the table, she started cutting into it and putting small slices on plates for the boys. Once she’d passed them out, they each took a bite into the chocolate confection. Sora smiled around a mouthful of cake; it was delicious. His moms joined them at the table as the two children munched on the sweet treat.

“So, what else do you have scheduled for this ‘celebration’? Surely it doesn’t stop at just cake, right?” Mama wasn’t one for sweets, so she didn’t understand that sometimes cake was all you needed to celebrate something. She was right this time though; they did have something else in mind. Riku took a break from eating to tell them about their plans.

“After we finish eating, we’re gonna go stargazing on the beach. When we asked Ven what he wanted to do, that’s what he came up with.” Swallowing his bite of chocolate, Sora spoke up.

“He said he used to do it a lot back home with his friends, and it’s not like there’s much he can actually do from inside me. But since he sees what I see, this seemed like a good option for all of us.” Sora could tell Ven felt a little bittersweet about it all though. While today marked a year since they’d all met and became friends, it also meant it had been a year since he’d seen Terra and Aqua. It only made Sora more determined to travel to other worlds someday so he could reunite the three friends, he hadn’t told Ven that however.

_Speaking of stars, they must have come out by now._

Turning towards the window, Sora could see that Ven was right. Night had fallen and he could see the twinkling of stars in the dark sky. Swallowing his last bite of cake, he hopped down from his chair and looked at Riku.

“We better head out now so that we have time before it gets too late.” It was still a school night and Riku had to get home at a reasonable hour. The other boy nodded and got up from his seat.

“Thank you for the cake, it was really tasty.” His moms smiled at them as they made their way back out the door, not bothering with putting on shoes this time. They raced over to the beach, collapsing in the sand once they’d made it to the shoe.

“Ugh, we shouldn’t have run so soon after eating cake.” Sora’s stomach was rebelling slightly at the exertion after having so much sugar. From the grimace on Riku’s face he could tell the other boy felt the same.

_At least you wont have to move for a while, look up at the sky._

Glancing up, Sora couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the lights shining above him. He could see why Ven enjoyed this; it was a breathtaking sight. The three of them shared the moment in silence for a while, simply admiring the view in front of them. He had no idea how long had passed before Ven spoke.

_Sora, Riku…I wanted to thank you two. When I first got hurt, I was so scared of being alone, not knowing how long I would be asleep or when I’d be able to see my friends again. But coming here, meeting you two, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You’re both amazing people and I really cherish all the time we’ve spent together. I’m really glad we became friends._

Sora smiled up at the sky. Leave it to Ven to make things all sappy. He was sure this had been on his mind all day though, and it really must mean a lot to him. He turned his head to address Riku.

“Ven wants to thank us, and says that he’s happy that we’re all friends.” Riku faced him and smiled back.

“I’m happy we’re all friends too. It’s been great getting to know Ven this past year. I hope we get to spend even more time together in the future.” Sora grinned and looked back to the sky. He was about to say something about being friends forever when a flash in the sky caught his eye. It started with one streak across the sky, then another, then another. He sat up in excitement.

“A meteor shower!” He stood up as if being closer to the sky would give him a better view. He’d heard of meteor showers before, but he’d never seen one himself. He could hear Riku stand up next to him but he kept his eyes glued to the sight in front of him. There was a particularly bright flash, and something seemed to appear out of nowhere in the sky. It took him a while to identify it in the dark, although it really shouldn’t have when he’d witnessed this before.

“Is that…” Riku’s voice was laced with confusion at what they were seeing, but Sora was unable to say anything, frozen in place by a sense of déjà vu. Falling from the night sky, just like he’d seen one year ago, was a person.

He could hear Ven calling to him, trying to get his attention, but he couldn’t take his eyes off of the figure plummeting towards the ocean. Had he fallen asleep while stargazing? People didn’t fall out of the sky in the real world, he’d only ever seen it happen in his heart where you couldn’t get hurt by the landing. He stood there watching, as the person finally met the water below them. All at once everything came back into focus around him. Ven was calling out his name trying to get him to respond. Riku had left at some point, Sora now standing alone on the sand. He remembered his fear and indecision freezing him last time, and came to a resolution. He rushed headfirst, fighting against the incoming waves as he made his way into the ocean.

_Sora stop! What are you doing?_

He grit his teeth against the cold water as he pushed his way forward.

“I have to help them!” Taking a deep breath, he dove underwater to swim under the approaching waves. He could still hear Ven’s shouting as he submerged himself in the ocean.

_Riku went to get your moms, wait for them and let the adults handle this!_

The salt stung his eyes as he breached the water to take a much-needed breath. Panting as he tread water, he looked around to try and orient himself.

“There’s no time!” This wasn’t his heart; people could get hurt here. They could have injured their head when they hit the water. They could be drowning right now and Sora was the only one here that could do anything to help.

_Sora please, head back to shore. Your moms can take care of helping whoever that was. You’re gonna get hurt!_

He could hear the panic and worry in Ven’s voice. He felt bad for upsetting his friend, but he couldn’t just stand back and do nothing! He could see a body floating in the water some feet away from him and started swimming in that direction. Ven continued to plead with him all the way until he reached the other person. It looked like it was a girl, probably around his age. Her eyes were closed and she wasn’t moving, but hopefully that would just make it easier to pull her back to shore. Looping his arm under hers, he began to make his way back towards the beach. As he paddled with only one arm, he could feel himself starting to tire out. The initial burst of adrenalin at the situation had worn off, and the combination of the cold water and the weight of his soaked clothes had him slowing down. He looked up to see how much further he had left to swim, when he realized he’d barely made any progress at all. He’d been swimming for what felt like forever, but he didn’t seem to be advancing any. Remembering what his Mom had told him about rip tides Sora began to feel his own panic. He must have gotten caught in the current, and he didn’t have the strength to get himself out with two arms, let alone one. His limbs felt heavy as he tried to push his way out regardless. He knew Ven was talking to him, but he couldn’t make out what he was saying. Everything was cold, and he was so tired. He knew his lack of stamina would be the end of him. As he held onto the unconscious girl, it got harder and harder to keep both of their heads above the water. He was choking on salt as it flowed into his nose and mouth, trying to cough it out but having no air to breathe back in. His head dipped underwater and he knew he didn’t have the energy to swim back up. Looking up towards the surface one last time, he closed his eyes with the dreadful knowledge that he might not open them again.

 

 

 

_SORA!_

Ven’s eyes shot open as wind erupted all around him. He coughed as water spilled out from his lungs, and he took a moment to wonder at the fact that he had lungs at all. He wasn’t in Sora’s heart, he was awake in the real world and he could somehow move of his own volition. There was a little girl in his arms and water all around him, kept at bay by the cyclone he had unconsciously summoned.

“This is…Aeroga?” He looked around himself to see the spell had encircled him, or at least, it had encircled Sora. Because that’s what this was, he was in Sora’s body. Not like he usually was, tucked away in his heart, but actually in control and able to act. He’d have time to ponder this development later though, he had an unconscious girl to save and he was still worried about where Sora’s consciousness went. Collecting the girl in his arms, he used air slide to push forward, the magic of Aeroga following him to keep to water away. It only took a few dashes to make it back to the shore, where he gently laid the other child in the sand and began checking her vitals. Her heartbeat was weak, but steady, and miraculously she seemed to be breathing just fine. Whatever magic had forced the water from his own airway must have worked on her as well. Sighing, he sat back in the sand and turned his attention inward.

“Sora? Sora are you there? Are you okay?” There were a few awful moments of silence where Ven wasn’t sure if he’d get a response, before he heard a quiet voice answer him.

_I’m…I’m here._

Ven let out a breath of relief, he didn’t know what he’d do if something had happened to the younger boy.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again, alright? You have no idea how frightened I was for you.” It was something he’d never forget that’s for sure. Watching through Sora’s eyes, unable to do anything but shout as the boy succumbed to the cold water. It was a helplessness he’d never experienced before.

_I think I’m okay now, but why did we switch places? How are you in my body?_

Ven thought about that. He’d never actually tried to take control from Sora before, he didn’t think that would work and wouldn’t want to force the other boy out of his own body. But apparently that didn’t mean it wasn’t possible.

“I think it’s probably because I was desperate. I wanted to save you but I couldn’t do anything the way things were. And with you starting to lose consciousness, it probably made an opening for me to take over.” He wondered if they could do it on purpose, if only so they could switch back. He could feel his eyes growing heavy as his body continued to shiver. He hoped Riku would be back with Sora’s moms soon. “Sora, I think your body’s going into shock. I’m going to lose consciousness soon and then you’ll probably be in control when we wake up again. I’m still not done talking to you, what you did was very dangerous. So expect an earful when I join you in there.” He could hear shouting as his vision started fading. The last thing he knew before his world went dark was Soras Mom taking him into her arms. It was the warmest embrace he’d felt in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you all liked this chapter and look forward to the next one to come!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora's moms have some words for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell how excited I was to write this chapter and get it out to you guys? This might be the quickest I've ever updated. I've had this scene at the end planned out for the longest time and I really hope you all like it as much a I do! Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter, I kept looking at them anytime I got stuck on what to write next.

Sora woke up to an unfamiliar, white ceiling. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but it felt like it had been a while. Ven certainly had plenty of time to lecture him while he’d been unconscious at least. After checking to make sure that Sora was okay, the older boy had gone off about how you can’t help someone if you’re then going to need to be saved as well. It made sense after they talked about it, it was easier to save one person from drowning rather than two, and if Ven hadn’t taken over his Mom would have needed to rescue both him and the girl together.

The more he’d thought about his almost drowning, the more anxious he had gotten. Ven had noticed his tremors and stopped his scolding to pull the boy close and console him. It had been scary for both of them, so they spent a while simply holding one another, taking comfort in the fact that Sora was unharmed and they were still together. Eventually he had to wake up though, and that’s how he found himself in a strange room he’d never seen before, lying in a bed that wasn’t his own.

He blinked a few times so his eyes could adjust to the harsh ceiling lights. He moved to sit up when he heard rustling next to him. He looked over to see his Mom siting next to the bed. Her head had been resting in her arms on the mattress but him rousing must have alerted her to his waking. Her head shot up and as soon as they made eye contact she was pulling him into her arms. He could feel her shaking, as his shoulder got wet from her tears. He’d never seen his Mom cry before, and he immediately knew he’d really messed up this time.

“Sora, baby, are you okay? How are you feeling?” She pulled back to hold his face in her hands. Her eyes darted across his features, looking up and down, checking for any sign of injury. Sora smiled at her sheepishly.

“I’m fine Mom, really.” Sure it’d been scary at the time, but he already cried out those fears with Ven earlier. He didn’t have it in him to be afraid about it again so soon. His Mom’s tears only seemed to increase at that, as her hold on his face tightened so he couldn’t look away.

“What were you thinking? You could have gotten hurt! You could have drowned out there! You know not to go that far out in the water by yourself, I’ve told you this! Especially at night! Why didn’t you just wait for us to come? Do you have any idea how scared we’ve been?” The door creaked open interrupting the crying mother. Sora looked past his Mom to see his Mama in the doorway. She must have left to get something to drink, but as soon as she saw that Sora was awake the cup clattered to the ground and water spilled across the floor. She rushed over to join her family, hugging her wife and child in a desperate hold. She leaned back to examine her son just as his Mom had done before her.

“Are you hurt? Can you breath normally? Sora, promise me you’ll never do anything like this again. It was dangerous and foolish and your Mom and I have been worried sick. You have no idea how frightening it was to find you lying there in the sand like that. Promise me you’ll wait for help next time, I don’t know what we’d do if we lost you.” While his Mom was frantic as she checked him over, his Mama was more stern. She was always the more cool-headed one between the two women, and she must have been stuck in her own head thinking about how this could have happened and what she could do to prevent it in the future. Sora really felt terrible now, seeing how upset he’d made his moms.

“It’s okay, I’m not hurt I promise. I had to do something though, that girl was in trouble!” Looking around, he noticed that it was just the three of them in the room, the little girl was nowhere in sight. “Where is she? Is she gonna be okay?” His moms looked at each other before Mama sighed.

“She’s going to be just fine, she’s in another room somewhere in the hospital. But still, that’s no excuse! You should have waited for help to arrive, what could you do on your own? You’re still just a kid sweetie, you need to leave it to the adults to figure these things out.” He knew that now, Ven had already explained things to him while he’d been asleep. But still, they didn’t have to worry that much.

“I told you though, I’m fine! Ven was able to save us both so we could get to shore.” He tried to smile reassuringly at his Mama but she only frowned and shook her head at him.

“Sora…Ven’s not real.” Mom’s head turned quickly to stare at the other woman. She whispered harshly at her.

“Aiko!” Sora blinked in confusion. What was she talking about? Of course Ven was real!

“We said we’d indulge him, but not if he thinks its okay for him to put himself in danger because of some…some imaginary friend!” Her words hit him like a ton of bricks. Imaginary friend? Was that all they thought that Ven was? But they’d talked to him, asked after him. Was that all just pretend? Ven was silent inside of him, but Sora could feel a tightness in his chest, a pain that wasn’t his own, and he knew Ven was hurt by those words. He could feel fresh tears starting to well up in his eyes.

“How…how can you say that?” his mom’s attentions were brought back to him and he could see a hint of remorse in his Mama’s expression. They both reached out to comfort him, but he pushed their hands away.

“How can you just say that? He’s been here with me every day for the past year! You’ve talked to him! I’ve told you about him! He’s real! He is!” He couldn’t stop crying, feeling betrayed that his moms wouldn’t believe him.

“Sweetheart, that’s all just pretend; like how you and Riku used to make believe that you were pirates on that island.” His Mama was trying to rationalize this with him, but there was nothing rational about it. Ven existed; he was a real person with a heart that was hurting now because of what they were saying.

“It’s not the same! Ven’s real, he’s alive and you’re hurting his feelings!” His body shook with sobs as he tried to figure out a way to make them believe him. He had to prove that Ven wasn’t imaginary; he had to!

_Sora…it’s all right._

He cried harder as Ven spoke up for the first time since this conversation began. He was trying to hide it, but Sora could hear the pain in his voice.

“No it’s not all right, you’re my brother and I love you and that means they need to love you but if they don’t think you’re real how can they be your moms too?” It wasn’t a sentiment he’d ever expressed out loud before, but it was true. Ven was like an older brother to him and together with his Mom and Mama this past year they had felt like a family. But to find out that it was all a lie, that his moms never believed that Ven was actually there, hurt more than the cold water had last night.

“Sweetie…” His Mama tried to reach out to him again, sadness written all over her face. She obviously hadn’t expected her words to leave him so distraught. He was too upset with her though, with both of them for not understanding why this was so important.

“No, go away! I don’t want to see you right now! I’m taking a nap!” He turned his back to them and buried himself under the covers of the bed. He could hear his Mom asking him to come out but he just covered his ears and closed his eyes. He didn’t want to talk anymore, he just wanted to go to sleep and see Ven. It only took him a few minutes before he was drifting off and waking up in the sand once again. He got up and quickly looked around, only to find Ven was already standing right behind him. He had a pained expression on his face as he looked at the younger boy.

“Sora…” His voice cracked in the middle of his name and Sora jumped up to run to the other boy. He crashed into his chest and threw his arms around him as he began to sob anew. He could feel Ven shaking as he began to silently cry as well. For all that the older boy was more mature than Sora, he still had feelings and his moms had hurt them with their harsh words. Sora held on tighter.

“It’s not fair, why can’t they see you too? If they could just see you they’d know you’re real I’m sure of it.” He still felt that they should have believed him even without proof, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Instead he had to focus on finding a way to make them understand.

“Maybe it’s better that they think I’m just an imaginary friend. After all, it is kind of unbelievable, the situation we’re in. At least they were willing to pretend for a little while.” He wasn’t sure who Ven was trying to convince, Sora or himself. It couldn’t be better though, not when it made the two of them so sad.

“No it’s not! You’re like the big brother I never had and that means you’re a part of our family now! We just have to find a way to convince them that you’re real.” He wasn’t sure how they’d do it, but he had to try! Ven had helped him so much, now it was Sora’s turn to return the favor. The older boy chuckled humorlessly.

“I have to admit, it was nice, being a part of a family. I’ve had plenty of friends before, but parents and a little brother? That’s something I’ve never experienced.” There was a wistfulness in his voice, a longing for what he’d described to be a reality. Sora was determined to make it happen, and he thought he had an idea of how to go about that.

“Hey Ven, you know how you had control over my body last night when you saved me? Do you think you could do that again?” Ven was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, but he seemed to understand what Sora was saying rather quickly.

“Well, maybe. I could definitely give it a try. Are you sure though?” Sora nodded, he was already sharing his heart with Ven; he didn’t see any problem with sharing his body as well. Besides, it would make communicating with others a lot easier if Sora didn’t have to repeat everything Ven told him all the time.

“Yup! I’m sure! Imagine how much easier it’ll be to help train Riku and me if you can actually talk to both of us. And I think you really need to talk to Mom and Mama. It’s the only thing I can come up with that might help convince them you’re real.” At least, Sora hoped it would. Otherwise it’d be back to the drawing board for them. Ven still seemed nervous though.

“What if they think I’m just you playing pretend? Or what if they do believe me but they don’t like me?” Sora smiled at the older boy reassuringly.

“Of course they’ll like you! I can’t imagine anyone not liking you, you’re the nicest, coolest, most amazing person ever!” They held eye contact as Ven blushed at Sora’s words before sighing.

“It’s worth a shot at least.” He smiled at Sora and the younger boy counted that as a win. The two of them spent their time still asleep going over what exactly Ven would say to the two women. The planned for what his moms might say and what their responses might be. Sora even pretended to be his Mama so that Ven could role-play what their conversation would be like. They weren’t sure how long passed in the real world, time worked differently inside Sora’s heart. Eventually, they got to the point where Ven felt confident enough in what he was going to say that they figured it was time to give it a try. As soon as Sora had decided to wake up, he found his eyes opening to see his bedroom around him. He must have really been out cold if his moms carried him home while he was asleep. Standing up, he looked at the clock to see it was around lunchtime. His Mama was probably fixing something to eat for her and his Mom in the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, he left his room and headed down the stairs.

“You ready?” He could feel Ven’s nervous energy inside him. Even if they had prepared themselves, it was still nerve-wracking.

_As ready as I’ll ever be._

Nodding his head, Sora opened the door to the kitchen. His Mama was standing at the counter making sandwiches, while Mom was sitting at the dinning table with her head in her hands. Upon hearing him enter, they both turned their heads to look at him. They looked a mess, both had probably been worried about him all night and then he went and yelled at them. He suddenly felt bad about how he’d reacted, but that just meant it was all the more important that they all have this conversation. His Mom was the first to speak.

“Hey love bug, how are you feeling?” She tried to smile at him, but it seemed strained. There was a tension between her and Mama and Sora wondered if he’d caused them to have a fight after he’d taken his nap.

“Mom? Mama? We need to talk.” The both seemed surprised at his request. They looked at each other uncertainly, before Mama put her knife down and walked over to sit next to Mom at the table. Sora wandered over to sit across from them on the other side, looking up at both of them.

“Ven wants to talk to you.” He figured he might as well cut to the chase. Mama sighed from where she was sitting.

“Sora, we’ve been over this.” Before she could say more, Sora quickly cut her off.

“Please, just listen to what he has to say?” It didn’t matter what they wanted to tell them if his moms didn’t agree to listen. He sat with his breath held as he waited for a response.

“Let’s just listen Aiko, what can it hurt?” Mom looked hard at Mama before they both sighed and turned to face Sora again. Realizing that was his cue, Sora closed his eyes and relaxed. He figured it would be just like when he let Ven into his heart, he just had to be open and willing to accept him.

There were a few moments of nothing before Ven opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, confirming that he was the one in the drivers seat, before sitting up straight. He looked between the two women across from him, and let out a breath. Here goes nothing.

“Hi, I guess I should start by introducing myself. My name is Ventus, but you probably know me as Ven. I’m sixteen years old, or at least my body is. I’m from another world where magic is commonplace and hearts are a source of strength. A year ago I was injured in a fight against the darkness, my heart separated from my body, and I’ve been residing within your son ever since.” He paused so that they could process his words. Sora’s Mama looked at him warily.

“Sora, what are you doing?” She seemed to be caught off guard by the sudden switch, not quite understanding that she wasn’t talking to her son anymore.

“Sora’s not here right now, or he is, but he gave me the reigns so to speak. I’m usually watching the world through his eyes and able to talk to him while he goes about living his life, but we’ve currently switched places so that he’s the one watching while I’m talking to you two. It wasn’t something we were aware we could do until last night when I took over to keep him from drowning.” He could still see doubt in both of their eyes and he heaved a sigh.

“Look, I know this all sounds impossible, believe me I do. But the truth is that I’m here and I’m real and it’s hurting Sora to deny that I exist.” The pair of mothers exchanged uncertain glances. Sora was silent within him, but he could feel that the other boy was hanging onto his every word. Eventually, his Mom turned to address Ven.

“Let’s say we believe any of this. Why Sora? Wouldn’t it make sense to go with someone you knew from your own world or something?” Thankful that she was willing to go along with everything, if only to ask questions, Ven smiled at her.

“Is it really so hard to believe that your son is special? He could feel my heart calling out in pain and responded with open acceptance. His heart is filled with kindness and light and he’s gonna do great things someday, I just know it. And it’s because of that I was able to find him. He saved me from a long, lonely recovery and I’ll forever be grateful to him for that.” The two of them watched him with uncertainty, he could tell they didn’t want to believe all of this, but the more he spoke the more they seemed to realize he wasn’t their son, but someone else entirely.

“I know you’re scared. You both love Sora so much, I’ve seen that. And after last night you’re worried he’ll do something dangerous again. I was scared for him too, I care about him like he’s my brother and watching as he put himself at risk like that was one of the most terrifying moments of my life. If I had known I could take control, I would have stopped him a lot sooner, but I’m just grateful that I was able to figure it out in time to stop him from drowning. And I promise you; I will do everything in my power to keep him safe from now on.” He smiled at the both of them. “You two as well, I know I must seem like a stranger to you right now, but all those pretend conversations we had over the past year, I believed they were real. I’ve come to care about every single one of you, and I’ll protect you from anything I can, I promise.” There were tears in Sora’s Moms eyes, but his Mama still seemed unsure.

“Is there anything you can offer as proof? Something to let us know this isn’t just a game?” Ven thought about it, before reaching his hand out. He’d already broken so many rules in this conversation, what was one more. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he’d give it a try. Closing his eyes, he focused on pulling that warmth within his heart, the one that’s been with him for as long as he could remember. He could hear the two women gasp, and he opened his eyes to see wayward wind gripped in his hand. It was smaller, more suited to Sora’s younger body than his own teenage one, but it made his point. He looked up to find both of Sora’s moms staring at him in shock. He guessed as far as proof went, summoning a foreign weapon out of thin air was pretty solid. He relaxed his grip and let the keyblade vanish back into his heart. Once it was gone Sora’s Mom stood from her seat and walked around the table to kneel next to him.

“You’re truly not Sora? You’re real?” Ven just nodded his head in confirmation. The tears that had built up in her eyes finally spilled over as she wrapped her arms around him. Ven sat frozen in shock as the woman hugged him close.

“Thank you for saving our son, we’d have lost him without you.” Relaxing into her hold, he hugged the woman back and let out a breath of relief. He’d done it, he’d convinced them. He could feel Sora’s joy inside of him and couldn’t keep the smile from his face. There was a hand on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Sora’s Mama had come around to table as well. She had a look of regret in her eyes.

“I’m sorry I said you weren’t real. Not only did I upset Sora, but I’m sure I hurt you as well.” Ven quickly shook his head.

“No, it’s alright. I get that this is all pretty unbelievable.” She smiled at him as Sora’s Mom released him from her hold. She stood up and wiped the tears from her eyes, a bright grin spreading across her face.

“Well Ventus, I know just what this calls for.” She turned and walked back into the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator. Ven watched her in confusion.

“Just Ven is fine Mrs…” Now that he thought about it, Ven wasn’t sure how he should address the two women. He’d always just thought of them as ‘Sora’s moms’ in his head. He could hear chuckling from the kitchen before the woman spoke up.

“Just call us Mom and Mama, sugar. If you’re Sora’s brother, that makes you our son, and no child of mine is gonna be calling me by my first name.” She came back out from the kitchen with a plate in her hands. Walking back over to the table, she placed the dish in front of him and removed napkin that covered it. There on the plate, was a slice of chocolate cake with buttercream frosting and green letters on top. He froze at the sight of it.

“I think you might be overwhelming him a bit, dear.” Sora’s Mama spoke up with amusement in her voice, well used to her wife’s pace, but also aware that many others weren’t. The other woman shook her head and laughed jovially.

“Well I figure if he’s gonna be a part of our family, he might as well get used to our eccentricities now. Besides, we always talked about having another child.” She grinned down at Ven as she held out a fork to him. “The cake was meant for you anyway, it’d be a shame if you didn’t get to eat any of it. Go on, give it a try.”

Ven carefully took the fork out of her hand, staring at it for a moment. Slowly, he scooped up a piece of the cake and brought the bite to his mouth. As he ate it, he could feel tears start to silently make their way down his face. It was delicious. He felt two hands rest on him, one from Mom on his head and the other from Mama on his shoulder. He could hear Sora’s happiness echoing his own inside of him.

_I told you they’d love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhhhh I'm so happy with this chapter, you guys have no idea. I hope you all enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think, your comments really mean a lot to me and help me get through writing this story! Next up we have another time skip, not a super long one but enough to get us to the next event in this story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments everyone left on the last chapter! They kept me smiling so much these past two days and helped motivate me on writing this chapter! I hope everyone likes it!

Sora groaned as he felt something shaking his arm. He blearily opened his eyes to see his Mom grinning above him. He wondered for a moment why she was waking him up so early before he remembered what day it was. This recollection only caused him to groan louder and try to roll back over in bed.

“Come on sunshines, up and at em! Today’s the big day and you don’t want to be late!” Sora just pulled the covers up over himself further, determined to drift back to sleep. His plans were thwarted when his Mom grabbed his blankets and pulled them off the bed, leaving him exposed to the morning light. Having completed her task, she gave them a fifteen-minute warning before heading back downstairs. He was about to lay back down and try to fall asleep again when Ven spoke up.

_You know she’s just going to come back up here if you don’t make it downstairs in time._

His brother had a point, but Sora just pouted in response. Even five more minutes of rest would be nice.

“Does it even really matter if I’m late? I’m gonna be going to school for the rest of my life, what difference is one day going to make?” It wasn’t even like he’d be in the same class as Riku. The older boy had graduated from kindergarten last year, whereas Sora was only just starting. He could hear Ven laughing from inside him.

Sure it matters, first impressions are important. Besides, this is your chance to make some new friends, it’s going to be fun I’m sure of it.

Sora crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. They’d had this conversation before, Ven was excited about the whole idea of school, and Sora was too, honestly! He wanted to meet new people and have fun together, just like in all the stories Riku told him about school. But he didn’t know anyone there and what if they didn’t like him? Or what if he couldn’t keep up in class and didn’t understand the lessons? It wasn’t like he never wanted to go, but just one more day to get himself ready would be nice.

“If you’re so sure, why don’t you go to school instead?” With that, he closed his eyes and let his consciousness recede into the back of his mind. The two of them had experimented with swapping places a lot since they had first learned of the ability. While it still took a few moments and some concentration, it had become easier to switch the more they practiced. They had also made several discoveries in their experiments, one of which was that unless they were asleep, they always needed to have someone in the driver’s seat. If one of them decided to fade to the background, the other usually had no choice but to come out, which was how Ven now found himself blinking his eyes open as Sora gave over control.

“Really Sora? You can’t avoid school forever.” He wanted to be annoyed, but he found Sora’s uncharacteristic shyness adorable. It wasn’t often that his little brother got this bashful.

_Just, give me until we get to school, okay? I need to mentally prepare._

Ven sighed, but had a smile on his face. He didn’t even try to refuse at this point; it was a battle he knew he’d lose. He enjoyed indulging the younger boy too much.

“Fine, but no sleeping in there, alright?” That was the other big discovery they had made. Whoever wasn’t fronting at the time could ‘sleep’, so to speak, by diving deeper into Sora’s heart, finding themself alone on the island. It offered the both of them a chance at some rest and privacy when they needed it, as rare as that was. They’d grown used to having each other around, so when they had time to themselves it almost felt wrong. Sora mainly liked to use it to sleep more and avoid problems.

Figuring he might as well get them ready for the day, Ven walked over to the closet and picked out a change of clothes. He didn’t know what school would have in store for them so he made sure to choose an outfit that was easy to move around in and could get dirty if need be. He brushed their hair while looking in the mirror, and wasn’t that a strange sight for him. For as long as they’d been together, Ven wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to looking in a mirror and seeing Sora’s face looking back rather then his own. Finishing his task as best as he could, Sora’s hair was an untamable beast at times, he quickly changed and headed down to the kitchen.

“Morning starlight, is Sora awake in there?” He looked up to see Mom watching them from the table while Mama cooked breakfast. Since day one, the two women had always seemed to know the difference between whichever one of them was fronting. It had disappointed Sora at first, who had been hoping they could pull off some switching shenanigans on their mothers. Ven had asked how they could always tell who was out but Mom had just laughed and said ‘mothers intuition’. Ven just shrugged and smiled at her.

“Yeah, I made him promise not to go to sleep. He said he’d come back out in time for school though, he’s just nervous.” As soon as the words left his mouth he could feel a protest building up inside him.

_I’m not nervous!_

Ven shook his head in response.

“Yes you are, and that’s okay. This is new for you, and new things can be scary. It’s all right to feel anxious. Just don’t let that stop you from experiencing something great.” He knew _he_ was nervous when he first left home to travel to other worlds. But he quickly forgot all about his worries as they were replaced with wonder at all the things he’d never seen before. He wanted that for Sora too, the joy and amazement at doing something new and exciting.

There was a few seconds of silence after his words, and when he glanced back up again he could see their moms looking at each other. They seemed to be communicating without words for a moment, before Mama sighed and walked around to join Mom at the table.

“Ven, Sora, come here for a second.” Nodding, Ven walked over to them, only to have Mom hoist him up and sit him on the table in front of them. He looked between the two women in confusion before Mom addressed them.

“I want you to listen to us now, both of you. What Ven said is true, new things can be scary but also exciting. And I’m not going to lie; sometimes things are going to get tough. Not everyone will like or understand you, and some won’t even try. But for every person that says you’re weird, there will be someone else that says you’re wonderful. It’s all about finding those right people, they’re the ones that make everything worth it in the end.” She put her hand to his face with a smile as Mama spoke up.

“You both are wonderful boys with hearts of gold, and we want the world for the two of you. And I’m sure others will see that too. Just be true to yourselves, and keep an open heart. And know that no matter what, we’re so proud of you boys.” With that the two women wrapped him up in a warm hug. Ven couldn’t keep the flush from his face, and he could feel warmth in his chest, a combination of his and Sora’s happiness resounding within them. He hugged them back with a smile on his face as Sora laughed inside him. They really had the best family in the world.

“So, is Sora still ‘nervous’?” Mama grinned at him as they all pulled away from each other. Ven watched as she got up to go grab the food she’d left on the stovetop, waiting for a response from Sora.

_No, I’m feeling a lot better now. I’d still like some time to prepare myself though._

Nodding in confirmation, Ven repeated the answer back to their parents. Mom patted his head and gave him a smile.

“So long as he’s the one actually going to school, that’s fine. As much as I’m sure you would enjoy it as well, Sora’s the one who needs attend class.” Mama joined them and placed the food on the table. It was the more traditional meal that Ven was used to, grilled fish with rice and soup. As much as they wanted to treat Sora to a sweet breakfast on his first day of school, they were probably more concerned about him having enough fuel to get him through the day. It all worked out in the end since Ven was apparently going to be the one eating it anyway. He picked up his utensils and started digging in.

“It’s fine, I already had lessons and training with Master Eraqus. While it’s probably not exactly the same as going to school, I already had my chance to be taught. It’s Sora’s turn to learn now.” Taking a bite of fish, he busied himself with his meal; disregarding the concerned looks the two women gave one another. He didn’t talk about his past around them often, but from their reactions they usually didn’t like what they heard. While Sora found excitement in his tales of adventure, his mothers were more concerned about the danger he was put in. When he’d reassured them that he’d trained his whole life to fight, they seemed to disapprove of him being raised for battle from such a young age. Because of that, they had apparently grown a dislike for Master Eraqus, feeling that he should have let Ven have a childhood before anything else. Ven didn’t mind though, it’d not like he remembered far enough back to know whether or not he had a childhood. Plus it almost felt like he was getting to experience one now, living through Sora. What was important to him was becoming a keyblade master, and he knew not everyone would get the appeal of that.

Finishing up his breakfast, he thanked them for the meal and went to gather Sora’s stuff for school. They’d packed a bag the night before with everything the thought they would need so that they’d be ready in the morning. Grabbing the backpack and swinging it over his shoulders, he hurriedly brushed his teeth and headed back downstairs. Upon reaching the front door, he saw Mama waiting for him, dressed and ready to go. Mom stood in the hallway leaning against the wall, watching the two of them. Once he’d put his shoes on, she leaned down to kiss his head.

“Have fun at school you two, watch out for each other and remember what we talked about. Love you.” With that she gave her wife a kiss on the cheek and headed back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up. Mama opened the door and looked down at him.

“You all ready?” Ven nodded his head and with that they set out of the house. They made their way over to Riku’s place where they were picking the other boy up so they could walk to school together. Knocking on the door, they waited for a moment until Riku’s Grandma opened it for them. She looked between the two of the, eyes lingering on Ven for a moment before she nodded and greeted them. Sora groaned from inside him and Ven had to work to suppress a laugh. While she usually scolded Sora for slouching, Ven had a naturally straighter posture that always got her approval. The two adults exchanged pleasantries until Riku emerged from the house. Quickly saying their goodbyes, they left to head to school. His Mama walked slightly ahead of them, leading the way while the boys lingered behind to talk.

“You excited for school today? Sora was nervous earlier since he’s never been, but I figure you must be used to it by now.” Ven and Sora always made sure to start any conversation by indicating which one of them was talking. Since most people didn’t have the ‘maternal intuition’ that their parents did, it made it easier for others to know whom they were speaking with. Although Riku was really the only one they talked to, it was a good habit to have for when they made more friends. Riku smiled at him in response.

“Yeah, it’ll be nice to see Wakka again. We didn’t really hang out over the summer. And Sora has nothing to be worried about; school’s not that big a deal. Besides, he’s the friendliest person I know, I’m sure everyone will like him.” Ven just smiled and nodded in agreement.

“That’s pretty much what I told him, but he still said he wasn’t coming out until we actually got to school.”Riku laughed while Ven shrugged his shoulders. He might think it was kind of silly, but he was fine with whatever the younger boy needed.

_I’m preparing!_

Sora sounded indignant from inside him and Ven couldn’t help but chuckle at his antics. He can Riku continued their conversation while they walked, swaping ideas on how Sora would handle his first day of class and making plans to hang out at the end of the day. Soon they found themselves outside the school gate where children of all ages were running around, saying hello to friends and classmates that hadn’t seen in months.

“I’d better head in, I’ll see you guys after school!” With a final wave, Riku split from their small group to make his way into the building. Ven smiled and turned his attention inward.

“All right Sora, I gave you time to prepare, now it’s your turn to take the reigns.” He closed his eyes and relaxed as he felt himself drift to the back of their shared headspace. Sora opened his eyes and looked up at his Mama who smiled and kneeled down to his level.

“Make sure you thank your brother for indulging you this morning. Now, no switching during lessons, don’t ask Ven for any answers you don’t know, that’s what the teacher’s for. Have fun, make friends, and don’t let anyone bring you down. Love you both.” With one final hug, she stood up and waved goodbye to the boys. Feeling better after everything he’d been told this morning, Sora smiled and turned to head inside. It didn’t take long to find his classroom; there was only one kindergarten as far as he knew. Taking a deep breath, he looked straight ahead as he opened the door and stepped inside.

He wasn’t sure what he expected a classroom to look like, but he was pleasantly surprised. It was an open room with tables and chairs scattered around it. There was a clearing with a carpet on the floor depicting winding streets and buildings that looked pretty soft. The walls were lined with pictures and posters, most of which he was pleasantly surprised to be able to read with how big the letters were. The counters were lined with blocks and toys and other colorful objects he couldn’t identify. With so many things trying to grab his attention all at once, Sora had no idea how he’d ever be able to focus on what the teacher was saying once the lesson began. And that wasn’t even to mention all the other children.

There were boys and girls all his age running around the classroom. Some were playing tag around the chairs while others sat on the carpet building something out of blocks. There was a group of girls standing by the window laughing while a couple of boys colored some paper as they lied on the floor. Everyone seemed to be having fun, all Sora needed to do was introduce himself and he could join them. Interested in what the kids on the carpet were making, he started heading that way when Ven caught his attention.

_Sora, look over by the bookshelf._

Pausing, Sora looked around the room trying to find what his brother was pointing out before he saw her. Sitting on a stool in the corner by the books was a girl with short, red hair. She was the only one in the room who wasn’t part of a group, just sitting there, silently looking at her feet. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t put his finger on what until Ven spoke up.

_Isn’t that the girl? The one who fell from the sky?_

With a jolt, Sora realized that he was right. It was the same girl he’d tried to rescue from the ocean that night. He’d asked his moms about her a couple of times after the incident. Apparently she had lost her memories, and no one knew anything about who she was or where she came from. She stayed at the hospital for a while before being adopted by the mayor. He hadn’t heard anything about her since, so he was surprised to see her here of all places. Watching her for a moment, he realized she looked pretty lonely there by herself.

“We should go talk to her.” Mind made up, he changed course to head over to where she was. He had to dodge a couple of kids running around and weave between some chairs but he made his way to the bookshelf.

_Don’t try to ask her any questions about her past, lost memories can be painful if you try to recall them._

Sora didn’t bother asking how Ven knew that; he’d heard his brother talk about his own lost memories before. Instead, he nodded his head in response as he stood in front of the girl. She glanced up at him, startled by his approach. She looked small, with her legs tucked under the stool and her hands folded in her lap. Sora waved and smiled at her, doing his best to appear disarming.

“Hi, I’m Sora! What’s your name?” She looked at him in bewilderment, while Sora waited patiently for a response. She took a moment to observe him before she seemed to remember his question.

“Oh! I’m Kairi. It’s nice to meet you.” She gave him a small smile, which caused Sora’s own grin to widen. It was nice to finally have a name so he didn’t have to keep referring to her as ‘that girl’ in his head.

“So what are you doing over here? Why not come play with everyone?” She seemed to curl in on herself a little more at the question. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as she glanced away from him.

“Well, I don’t really know anybody here and I don’t think I’d really be welcome to join them.” Kairi spoke in a quiet voice, but Sora could tell that despite her words, she really wanted to play with the others. He put his hands behind his head and smiled at her.

“There’s no need to be so nervous, I’ll bet you half the people here don’t know each other. You just have to introduce yourself, that’s all. School’s not that big a deal.” He tried to reassure the girl, but his head was filled with Ven’s laughter over his words.

_And who was it that wouldn’t come out cause he had to mentally prepare himself?_

Sora flushed a deep red and pouted at the older boy’s teasing. He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed out a breath.

“Come on, I already said I’m not nervous anymore. And I’m trying to make her feel better!” It made sense that if other people’s words had made him feel better that he repeat those words to someone else that needed them. He could see why that might make Ven laugh though; he was being pretty stubborn earlier. He looked back to the girl to see she was watching him with confusion.

“Um, what? Who are you talking to?” Sora could have smacked himself. He forgot sometimes that not everyone knew about his situation with Ven. It had just become second nature for him to talk to the other boy and assume that everyone present knew what was going on.

“Oh, I’m just talking to my older brother, Ven.” The girl looked around them, as if too try and spot where Ven was. “It’s kind of a long story, but he doesn’t have a body right now. His heart’s in my heart so we share my body for the most part. We can’t switch right now cause Mama said I had to be the one out for lessons, but if you want to meet him you could talk at recess!” She just blinked at them, processing all the information thrown at her. Sora was worried for a moment that she would just brush him off as talking to an imaginary friend, but she was soon smiling at them.

“Okay, I think I’d like that.” Sora sighed in relief and grinned at the girl. He was about to ask if Kairi wanted to play with them when the bell rang, indicating it was time for school to start. The teacher walked into the classroom and called for everyone to quiet down and sit in a circle on the carpet. Sora looked back at her and held out his hand.

“Do you want to sit with us?” Kairi smiled wider than he’d seen before and nodded. Taking his hand, she stood up and the two of them headed over to where all the other children were gathering. Right before they joined everyone, he heard Kairi speak up.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better Sora.” He grinned at her as they sat down. Sora had the feeling he’d just made an important friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Kairi truly enters the fray! I cant wait to write more of the destiny trio plus Ven, I hope I do them all justice! I still have a bunch planned for this pre-canon story, but if anyone has any requests or suggestions, I'd love to hear them! Nine years is a long time to go until the games start, and if theres anything in particular you want to see, let me know and I'll consider putting it in! Thank you so much for reading, if you enjoyed this chapter please let me know in a comment! They always make my day!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi becomes a part of the group

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter this time, it gave me a bit of trouble for reasons and I had to rewrite it. Thank you so much for all the comments and suggestions last chapter! They always make me smile!

Kairi quickly became the newest member of their close-knit friend group. She was usually pretty quiet and reserved, speaking in a low voice during class and keeping to herself more often than not if Riku, Sora, and Ven weren’t around. The more she hung out with them, however, the more obvious it became that she had a spark in her. As soon as it was just the four of them together, she came to life. It showed every time Sora made a joke and she laughed a little too loud, or when Riku and her would share a conspiring look before teasing the younger boy. She had an energy and sense of humor that matched well with their own, and her bright light endeared her to the boys. Most importantly, at least to Sora, she and Ven got along just as well. It was genuine too, unlike some of the other kids in kindergarten. Most of his classmates had apparently decided that it would be fun to play along with Sora’s game of pretend, never mind how much he insisted that he wasn’t pretending. He quickly learned how to differentiate people humoring him from true belief. Kairi was real like that, treating Ven like his own person from the very start. It instantly warmed him and Riku up to her more easily; even his moms had taken a liking to the girl.

Weeks turned into months, and it wasn’t long before it felt like Kairi had always been a part of their lives, same as Ven. She joined them on every play date after school and weekend off they had, going to one of the boys houses or playing on the beach together. She even started coming to the island with them, a place that had previously only been for the two boys plus Ven. That was where they found themselves now, enjoying the weekend by spending time together. Sora and Ven’s Mom had dropped them off early in the morning and would be back to pick them up around lunchtime as usual. They’d already shown Kairi around the island, sharing all their secret hideouts and play areas. Currently, Sora and Riku were engaged in a sword fight while Kairi sat in the sand and cheered them on. With every clash of their wooden blades, there was a resounding crack. The two boys met one another blow for blow, until finally Sora was able to knock the toy weapon out of Riku’s hands. There was silence as they stared at each other, trying to catch their breaths, before clapping could be heard.

“Way to go Sora! I haven’t seen you get the better of Riku in a while.” She grinned at them from where she sat and Sora let out a joyful laugh. It was true, while Sora won more often than he had in the past, it was still usually Riku who came out on top. It was nice to feel victory every now and then though. He was about to say as much when Ven spoke up from inside him.

_Good job Sora, now it’s my turn to come out._

He nodded as he closed his eyes. This was routine for them after sparring. First Riku and Sora would fight, then Ven would take over to give them pointers on what they did well and what they could improve upon. It only took a moment before Ven was opening his eyes and directing his attention at Riku.

“You did well just now, I can definitely tell you’ve been improving. You’re endurance is better than Sora’s is, as usual, so don’t be afraid to try and draw out the battle next time. Also,” He walked over to pick up the dropped sword and shook his head a bit before frowning at Riku. “Why are you suddenly trying to wield this two-handed?” It was something he’d noticed immediately upon the start of the fight. While it was normal for Sora to swing with both hands gripping his weapon, Riku usually held his in just the one. The younger boy shrugged at him.

“I just thought I’d give it a try, that’s all.” Ven stared at him, his face expressing just how much he didn’t believe that excuse. They held eye contact in a stand off for a few seconds before Riku sighed and gave in. “Sora swings with two hands, I thought that if I did the same it’d be more powerful.”

Ven could understand where Riku was coming from; Sora was undoubtedly the powerhouse between the two of them. Using both arms to wield his weapon put more strength behind each swing. For a couple of kids, he was sure that raw power was an appealing fighting style. However…

“It didn’t feel natural though, did it?” Riku shook his head and Ven smiled at him. “Every person has a different form when they fight. Terra was slow, but powerful. More powerful than anyone I knew. Aqua was elegant; every attack almost seemed like part of a dance. As for me,” He twirled the sword in his hand, gripping it backhanded and he rushed forward. Before Riku could even blink, the wooden blade was held to his throat. Ven smirked at him. “I’m fast, and in my real body I’m sure I’m faster than anyone you’ll ever meet.” It wasn’t arrogance, but confidence. He’d specifically trained himself so that he’d be able to say those words with absolute certainty.

Riku slowly took a step back from the sword and nodded at him. Satisfied that he’d gotten the point across, Ven straightened up and handed the toy weapon over to him. He could hear Sora snickering at Riku’s befuddled face, and he had to admit it was rather funny to see the normally put together child thrown off balance. Back to his lesson though.

“Even with our differences, I wouldn’t say that any one of us was ‘stronger’ than the others. It’s all about finding your own skills and developing those to the best of your ability. Sora has the power behind his attacks, sure, but you have speed and agility. Not just physically, but mentally as well. You can plan out a series of attacks in your head just as quickly as you execute them. You’re tactical, and it keeps you one step ahead of your opponent so long as you can move quick enough in performance. A two handed style would only slow you down, so stick with the one handed grip and see where that will take you.” He paused to give Riku time to process everything he had said. It was a lot to take in, but he was confident the boy would be able to understand what he’d been told and apply it. He looked up at the sky as he addressed his brother inside him.

“Sora, you still need to work on your stamina. It was a good idea to finish the fight quickly since that works in your favor, but sometimes you’re going to have to keep at it for a longer period of time. One thing that can help with that is moderating your strength. Instead of putting your full power behind every swing, determine how much is needed for each strike. That way you won’t tire out as fast.” Having finished with his feedback, Ven was about to switch out when he caught sight of Kairi from where she was sitting. Her eyes were bright and alert, filled with an energy and excitement he’d seen mirrored in the two boys she was friends with. Her hands were gripping the hem of her dress, and her body was drawn taut, as if she were restraining herself. Ven was hit with a realization and couldn’t help but smile. Birds of a feather, weren’t they?

“Hey Kairi, how about you and Riku have a go next?” Both children looked at him in surprise. Riku seemed considering while Kairi’s face flushed a bright red as she stared down at her lap. He’d noticed that was a nervous habit of hers, whenever she was worried about something, she’d avoid eye contact at all costs.

“No, that’s okay. I’m fine with just watching. Besides, I wouldn’t know what to do anyway.” She spoke in the same quiet voice she did when they first started hanging out, the one she used when she was around other people. It was that voice that confirmed that she wasn’t being true to herself. He shared a knowing look with Riku before walking over to sit next to her. 

“Come on, you think these two knew anything about fighting at first? Before I started training them, they would just try to bludgeon each other like a couple of baboons.” Sora squawked indignantly inside him, and from the look on Riku’s face he wanted to protest at the comparison as well. Ven just carried on. “Besides, you’ve been listening to every lesson and bit of advice I’ve given out since you joined us. I’m sure you’ve absorbed more than you know.” Kairi glanced at him and bit her lip. He could tell that she really waned to say yes, but there was something holding her back. Her eyes met his before darting away again as she mumbled under her breath.

“I’m sorry, what was that?” She sighed and finally turned to face him fully. She was pouting as she repeated herself.

“Girl’s don’t fight, it’s not proper.” She said the word ‘proper’ like it left a sour taste in her mouth. Ven frowned but didn’t bother asking where she’d heard that. Her adoptive father was a kind man and he obviously loved her very much, but he had certain ideas about what was considered appropriate behavior for girls and what wasn’t. His views on what was ‘proper’ had come up while they were playing before. Every time Kairi hesitated to run and play tag with them or sat out from wading in the water for fear of getting her dress dirty, she was being ‘proper’. For her sake, Ven hoped actually raising a girl of his own would give her father a reality check and teach him more about women in general. Until then, it was up to Ven to do damage control on whatever ideas he put in Kairi’s head.

“You know my friend Aqua I was just talking about? She’s a girl, and she fought alongside Terra and me. Not only that, but she’s one of the strongest people I know. She was the first of us to become a Master, and she deserved the title. She worked hard and was good at what she did. So what if she was a girl? She could do anything us boys could, and more besides. She didn’t care if it was considered ‘proper’ or not. And who’s to say if something is proper for you anyway? Only you can decide what you want to do, you can’t let other people control how you live your life. You should get to choose.” He could see she wanted to believe his words, but she was still hesitating. He smiled at her. “Besides, look around us. Do you see anyone on this island that will care about you being proper?” Kairi’s eyes darted around them, before widening in realization. Her father wasn’t here right now, no one was. It was just the four of them, and her friends wouldn’t tell anyone if she didn’t behave the way she’d been told she’s supposed to. She turned back to look at Ven, her face lighting up in excitement.

“You mean…I can play too?” There was such longing in her voice that Ven had to work to keep the smile on his face. It was sad that she wasn’t allowed to just be a kid at home, but here on the island away from everyone, she could be whatever she wanted to be.

“Absolutely. In fact, I encourage it. Sora and Riku could use someone else to kick their butts every now and then.” There were more protests in his head and Riku had a playful smile on his face.

“She can try.” He lifted his sword above his head in a ready position. Kairi grinned and jumped up from where shed been sitting. She took the other sword and ran over to face across from Riku. She held it tight in one hand, looking at it uncertainly. Ven stood and walked over to her.

“Relax your grip a bit, holding it like that will only give you blisters.” Placing his hand on hers, he pushed her hand down until she was holding the sword by her waist. “Start from this position, don’t even bother trying to copy Riku’s form, he’s a freak of nature.” Next he held onto her elbow, guiding her arm in a swing. “Keep your motions loose and fluid, one swing flowing into the next.” Riku yelled at them from his position across the beach. 

“Giving her pointers right before a match? How come you never guided us like that?” Ven smirked at him; it was only fair that he help her out since he’d been training the boys for over a year now.

“You two already had experience with fighting each other before I showed up. You didn’t need as much advice on your form since you’d already become set in your fighting styles, however atrocious they may be.” Riku held his sword like he had a stick up his butt and Sora’s hunched over form would give Riku’s Grandma an aneurism. They were certainly unconventional fighting stances, the product of the time they went without proper training, but they worked for the two of them.

_At least we hold our swords the right way, unlike some weirdo’s._

Ven barked out a laugh. He wasn’t sure why, but Riku and Sora seemed to take personal offense to him holding their swords backhanded. It might be because when they tried to mimic him, they only ended up off balance with their faces in the sand. It was what worked best for him though, just like how their styles were natural for them. Now all they’d have to do is find what Kairi’s style would be.

“Keep your balance, and do what feels right. You can do this.” They shared a smile before Ven stepped away and sat in the sand to watch them. There was a brief pause, and then Riku was rushing forward in an attack. Kairi quickly held up her sword to block it, pushing his weapon off of hers and launching an attack of her own. He jumped back in a doge as she swung her blade at him, keeping her arm loose like Ven had told her. She got several good swings in before Riku parried her and with one last jab she was sent to the ground.

She sat there for a moment, stunned by how fast everything had gone. Ven watched as several different emotions played out on her face, before finally settling on resolved. She hopped up from the sand and grabbed the toy weapon once more. She looked straight ahead, eyes focused on Riku in front of her.

“Again!” Riku smirked as he got back in position to begin fighting again. With his job done for now, Ven closed his eyes and let himself fade into the background once more. He continued to watch from inside as the two children fought once again and Sora cheered them on from the sidelines. He was filled with warmth as he observed the excitement and energy these three had, and he felt lucky to have met them all. As the afternoon went on and they all continued to eagerly spar and improve, he couldn’t help but think he’d make keyblade wielders out of them yet.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Comments give me motivation so please leave one if you have anything to say!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a storm approaches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, thank you again for all the lovely comments last chapter! They never fail to make me smile! I hope everybody enjoys this chapter as well!

With the coming of summer, and thus summer vacation, the four friends found themselves hanging out almost every day. They tried to go to the island as often as they could, although they still needed Mom to get them there since they were still too young to go by themselves. While they were able to play and have fun together anywhere they went, the island was the only place Kairi felt comfortable enough to completely let loose. Even now, on the beach right outside Sora’s house, she was worried about someone coming along and seeing her playing and being ‘improper’. So instead of joining Sora and Riku in training like she usually did, she had resumed her role as cheerleader while the two boys fought one another. They went several rounds before stopping to catch their breath, the score between them currently being six to two in Riku’s favor. The two boys joined Kairi where she sat in the sand; Riku leaning back on his hands while Sora sat with his legs crossed.

“How’d we do today Ven?” Riku turned to look at the other boy as Sora and Ven switched places. It was a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment where his posture straightened and his expression softened. The two boys had gotten so used to swapping out that it only took a brief second for them to change. Ven smiled and started giving his feedback. 

“You’ve both gotten most of the basics down, although there are several areas which you still need to improve. Kairi, did you notice anything about their guard?” He turned his head to Kairi, who had been observing the fight from the outside. Ven always wanted to make sure whoever wasn’t sparring didn’t feel left out. He told them to keep a close eye on the fight and then he’d ask questions to see if they’d paid attention. Kairi pursed her lips in thought for a moment before answering confidently. 

“Riku tends to block better on his right side than his left. He favors that side in general since it’s his dominant hand. And Sora…he didn’t really block at all. He dodges more than anything else.” Ven grinned at the girl and ruffled her hair a bit. Between the three of them, Kairi was definitely the best at making observations. It might be because she sat out more often than the other two, but Ven thought it was more of a natural talent of hers. 

“Correct! Good job catching that. So like Kairi said, Riku you need to work on finding a balance between your left and right side so that your opponents don’t take advantage of that weakness. And Sora, learn to block! You wont always be able to dodge your way out of everything.” While Ven also preferred to dodge when he could, it wasn’t always possible and then blocking became a necessary skill. He laughed good naturedly as he felt Sora pout inside him.

_But dodging’s way more fun! Besides, he can’t hurt me if he can’t catch me._

Ven just shook his head in amusement. Figures that Sora’s reasoning behind dodging would be ‘it’s fun’. He could only imagine the enjoyment his brother would get once he learned moves like dodge roll and air slide. Sora would be a menace one day, Ven was sure of that.

“Still, you have to learn how to block for when dodging isn’t an option. Besides, once you mater that skill, it opens up more abilities to you. You can learn moves that will let you stun your opponents or counter their attacks.” Before Ven could say more, he was interrupted by a flash of light that lit up the sky. A few moments later it was followed by the rumbling of thunder as drops of rain started to pour down. The sky had been grey all day, so the storm was expected, if sudden. The group of kids quickly gathered up their belongings and made a dash back towards the house. Mama was standing in the doorway waiting for them, having heard the thunder herself. As soon as all of them had made it into the building, they were quickly wrapped up in large towels.

“Hurry up and dry off now, don’t want you all catching a cold.” Mama took the towel around Ven and ruffled his hair dry with it, causing the boy to laugh.

“Mama, I can do it myself, you’re just gonna mess our hair up like that.” Grinning at him, Mama relented and walked over to check on the dryness of Riku and Kairi. Ven finished patting himself dry as Sora spoke up inside him.

_Man, that storm came out of nowhere. One moment everything was dry and the next you guys were soaking wet.  
_

Ven nodded at his brother’s words. While storms weren’t uncommon on the island, they rarely showed up out of the blue like this. He had a feeling this was going to be a big one. Mama stood up, having finished making sure everyone was dried, and addressed the lot of them.

“Well, since it seems we’re all rained in, you know what that means?” Riku and Kairi just looked at one another in question while Ven smiled. They had a tradition in this household whenever it stormed, taking advantage of the cold weather to do things that they normally couldn’t.

“Hot chocolate and movie blankets?” She smiled at him and nodded. It was usually too warm for hot chocolate and piling under a ton of blankets, but with the rain cooling everything down it created the perfect setting. Ven grinned and pulled the other two into the kitchen with him to find that Mom had already gotten started on fixing their warm beverages.

_Can I come out? Please? I can’t remember the last time I had hot chocolate!  
_

Ven chuckled and let his brother take over again so he could enjoy the sweet treat. Sora blinked his eyes open and rushed over to the kitchen table, Kairi and Riku following suit. As they all settled into their chairs, Mom turned to them.

“So, what does everyone want in their hot chocolate? Cinnamon? Vanilla? We’ve got marshmallows and whipped cream as well.” Sora thought about it for a moment before deciding he wanted cinnamon and whipped cream for his drink. Ven usually liked putting vanilla in his, but Sora thought that chocolate and vanilla should stay separate flavors. Riku ended up asking for plain hot chocolate with marshmallows and Kairi decided to give the vanilla a try with some marshmallows as well. Orders placed, Mom got back to work fixing their drinks while the trio talked amongst themselves.

“What kind of movie do you guys want to watch? We have a bunch to choose from.” Mama never really got to watch movies when she was his age so she liked to collect them now that she could. They had a whole shelf full of different movies that they could watch whenever they wanted. Sora’s favorites were the ones with a lot of action in them while Ven liked the ones with a lot of plot, but he didn’t know what the other two would want to watch. They both took a moment to think before Riku spoke up first.

“I really like animated movies.” Sora nodded, having become well acquainted with the other boys soft spot for cartoons in their years of friendship. Her turned to see Kairi still thinking it over. After a few minutes she finally spoke up quetly.

“Do you think we could watch something with sword fights in it?” Sora smiled at her and agreed. She let out a breath of relief and smiled back at him. He was sure she was probably worried about what would be a proper movie for girls to watch, something with romance he bet, but he was glad she decided to relax enough to ask for what she really wanted. Sora hopped up from his chair and ran into the living room to pick out a movie that matched what everyone wanted to see. Finding what he was looking for, he picked it off the shelf and headed back to the kitchen.

_I don’t think I’ve seen that one before._

Sora grinned and shook his head. Ven had gotten to watch several movies with them so far, but nowhere near the entire collection they had. He really liked this particular movie though, so he was surprised they hadn’t watched it together sooner. Sitting back in his chair, Sora took another sip of his hot chocolate before talking to Riku and Kairi again.

“This one’s a really good one. The animation is really pretty so I’m sure you’ll like it Riku. And there aren’t a ton of swordfights in it, but the ones that are there are really awesome! And there’s lots of adventure and sea monsters and sailing to the edge of the world!” He was getting excited to watch the movie just talking about it. He handed the movie to the others so they could take a look at the box while he finished his drink.

“Nice choice, it’s been a while since we’ve watched that one. I’ll go set it up in the T.V.” Mama leaned over and took the movie out of the box before heading into the living room to get everything ready. He heard popping and looked over to see Mom fixing bowls of popcorn for everyone. He quickly finished his hot chocolate and took his mug over to the sink, Riku and Kairi following suit. They walked into the other room to see Mama had piled blankets and pillows all over the floor and sofa. The adults got to use the couch since they needed the space, but with all the pillows and blankets covering the hardwood, it was almost comfier to be on the floor. Sora ran over and dived into the pile, finding a spot in the middle to cuddle up and watch the movie. Riku came over and sat to his left, while Kairi made herself comfortable on his right. Soon Mom was walking in carrying the bowls of popcorn and distributed them amongst everyone. As soon as everyone was settled in, Mama pushed play on the remote and the movie began.

It was silent in the room except for the sounds of the television and the occasional rumble of thunder outside. The rain continued to pour but it went ignored as the family and friends became engrossed in the film. They had just gotten to the part with the sirens when there was an especially loud crack of thunder. The whole room lit up from the window before the screen shut off and the whole room went dark. There was quiet for a few moments as everyone held their breath. When nothing else happened, it became obvious that the power wasn’t coming back on anytime soon. There were groans from everyone in the room as they realized this and resigned themselves to a movieless afternoon. Finally, Mom spoke up in the darkness.

“Alright, nobody move. I think I remember where everyone was so I’ll try my best not to step on any of you. Aiko, where did we put those flashlights?” There was the sound of clambering as Mom tried to make her way off the sofa in the pitch black of the room. There was a thump as she banged her foot against some of the furniture, followed by muffled grumbling.

“I think there’s some in the cabinet by the door, but I’m not sure.” It’d been a while since they’d had a storm so bad that the power went out. With them not using the flashlights for so long it became a struggle to remember where they were, let alone find them in the dark.

_Hey Sora, let me out for a bit. I have an idea._

Sora was confused, wondering what exactly his brother had in mind, but nodded anyway and gave over control. Ven blinked his eyes a few times as he took over. He looked down to where his hands probably were, unable to really see them in the dark. He didn’t know for sure that this would work, but he figured he might as well give it a try. He took a deep breath before whispering out a single word.

“Faith.” As the spell left his lips, three small pillars of light appeared. They weren’t nearly as big or bright as he was used to, but that was to be expected. They slowly circled him, casting light all throughout the room. Everyone turned to look at him, blinking their eyes as they adjusted to the new brightness. Mama was the first to speak up.

“Ven, sweetie, tell me you meant to do that.” Ven chuckled; he supposed it would be rather startling for them. It wasn’t like he had cast magic around them before, only having done it the one time when he was saving Sora and Kairi. He turned to look at her and nodded in confirmation.

“Yeah, I didn’t know if it would work or not, but I figured this would make finding those flashlights easier.” She smiled at him as Mom laughed cheerfully.

“It sure does, thanks for the help lightning bug!” With that the two women resumed their search for their own sources of light, this time with much less stumbling and clattering. He turned his head to their friends to see Riku and Kairi staring at him in awe. Now that he thought about it, he guessed he never really mentioned that he could cast magic to them. Oops.

“Ven, how are you doing that?” Kairi’s eyes were wide as she looked at the pillars surrounding him. Riku reached out slowly to try and touch one, only for his hand to phase straight through. He pulled his hand back and looked at it in surprise.

“It’s warm.” He supposed that made sense. Ven had never touched his light magic himself, but he guessed that light being warm was natural. He smiled sheepishly at them and scratched the back of his head.

“Um, it’s magic? I just cast the spell so that it wouldn’t be so dark in here.” He shrugged; he wasn’t sure how he could explain it without confusing them. Magic and spells could be pretty complicated stuff, and as smart as these kids were they were still only six and seven. Kairi was practically vibrating in place while Riku took on a determined look. He could see where this was going already. The two of them spoke in unison.

“Can you teach us?” Ven sighed; he should have known this was going to happen. He looked between the two of them and shook his head. 

“Maybe when you’re older. As it is I can only cast this much magic while in Sora’s body, you’ll have to wait until you’ve grown more for me to teach you.” He could see the protest written on their faces as they pouted at him, but was distracted when Sora spoke up.

_So wait, if you can cast magic from in my body does that mean I can do magic too?_

Sora sounded so excited at the prospect of being able to use magic. Ven hated to rain on his parade but he had to give him the same answer he’d given the other two.

“Sorry, but no. Spell casting takes a lot of practical knowledge about magic that you three just don’t have yet. Not only that, but while you’re still young your capacity for magic is lower. As you get older and stronger your magical aptitude will increase, but until then trying to cast magic beyond your capabilities could stunt your growth or harm you. As it is, I’m being very carful to only use magic from around us instead of what’s naturally in your body.” He could feel Sora’s dissatisfaction with his answer but it wouldn’t change. He wasn’t going to put them all at risk by teaching them something they weren’t ready for yet. He saw that Kairi and Riku were more understanding at his longer answer but still seemed like they wanted to object.

“When we’re older though?” Kairi had an insistent look in her eyes, hands clasped in front of her in a pleading gesture. Ven looked between her and Riku who had a grin on his face and had also clasped his hands in front of him.

“Please Ven?” Riku drew out the word please as he said it and Ven could feel Sora bouncing inside him in excitement. He just sighed; he knew he could never really say no to these three.

“Fine, sure, I’ll teach you. But only when I think you’re ready for it you understand? Magic can be tricky stuff.” The three children let out a cheer as Riku and Kairi slapped their hands together in a high-five. They ginned at one another and Ven shook his head. These kids would be terrors someday, once they were unleashed upon the worlds. He thought back to his own journey, and how he was apart from Aqua and Terra. Even in the end as they fought together, things were still tense between them. Their separate adventures had caused a rift between the three of them and even now he didn’t know how much their friendship would recover from it. He hoped that these three had it easier whenever the time came for their own adventure. He’d be sure to do his best to help keep them together, in whatever way he could. His thoughts were interrupted by an exclamation from the hallway.

“Found them! They were under the coat rack of all places.” Mom came in with a flashlight in each hand. Mama followed after her also carrying a pair and they both handed them out between the children. Mama gave him a smile.

“Thank you for the light Ven, but I think the flashlights can take it from here.” He nodded as he let the spell dissipate, the light from the pillars fading away until there was only the fainter glow of the flashlights. He relaxed and let Sora take back over, fading to watch everything from within. As the trio of friends talked in the darkness under the watchful eyes of their parents, Ven figured he didn’t have much to worry about. Their own tale was a long ways off, and he was sure the three friends would make it through anything that was thrown at them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! And a special thank you to Ausp_ice for giving me the idea of having a storm! I know it's not quite what you suggested but it did spark this idea in me!  
> Any guesses as to what movie they were watching? Let me know in a comment below!  
> Also, I forgot to mention that I do have a tumblr where you can feel free to message me if you want to talk! My username is the same as it is here: Shinkaakira and I'll post updates about chapters and sometimes ask questions about what I'm currently writing! Thank you everyone again and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new school year brings some new friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for always leaving such wonderful comments! Some of you got the movie correct! It was Sinbad Legend of the Seven Seas! I love that movie and though since it's dreamworks its safe from ever becoming a world in kingdom hearts. I'm in a rush so it's a bit of a shorter chapter but I hope you like it all the same!

Sora wanted this activity to just be over already. He was sitting in his new classroom for the start of first grade and everyone was silent. The teacher had passed out books to everyone and told them to read quietly for ten minutes until it was time for lunch. He sat at his table with Kairi and two other kids, and the stillness was driving him crazy. He wanted to fidget or move around, but he’d been scolded whenever he did that last year. He didn’t want to get in trouble on the first day of school, so he tried to settle down. He did his best to read the book he was given, but it was hard to understand the words on the page when the letters kept moving around. He wondered how the other kids did it, were they better at tracking the letters as they drifted across the page? Or was it a matter of being fast enough to read the word before they started moving? He’d have to ask Kairi what the trick was once quiet time was over. In the meantime, Sora was getting increasingly antsy. He knew Ven could feel his building frustration by the soothing vibes he was trying to send Sora’s way. He took a deep breath and tried to just focus on Ven’s feelings of calm and relaxation. It helped keep him grounded until he heard the bell ring indicating that the period was over for now.

“Alright everyone, good job reading quietly. Put your books down and form a line by the door so we can head to the cafeteria for lunch.” The teacher stood from her desk and walked over to the door to head the line that was quickly forming. Sora breathed a sigh of relief and put his book on the table. He got out of his chair and walked around the table to join Kairi. The two of them smiled at one another before walking to the line together.

_You feeling any better Sora? What had you so anxious?_

Sora groaned quietly as he stood at the back of the group of children. With everyone gathered, the teacher directed them through the hallway and towards the lunchroom. He looked down at his feet as he walked and answered Ven in a low voice.

“I don’t like reading. It’s so hard.” Kairi looked at him questioningly as he spoke. She smiled reassuringly as the entered the cafeteria and made their way over to a table. They’d both had lunches packed so they didn’t need to wait in line for school food. 

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it Sora. It just takes practice, Dad has me read at home everyday and that really helps.” Sora pouted, he already had to read at school, he didn’t want to read at home as well. Just the thought of it gave him a headache. Sitting at the table and unpacking his lunch, Mom had made him a ham sandwich with chips and apples, he turned to face Kairi.

“How do you keep track of all the letters though? The letters b and d and p look so similar and they get all jumbled up. How do you tell the difference between them? And then they jump around on the page and it gets hard to tell what they are.” As Sora went on complaining about the struggles of reading, he was met with silence from Kairi and Ven. When he received no response he turned to see Kairi looking at him in confusion. He wondered what he said that was so confusing; after all reading was hard! He didn’t see how anyone could get used to all the moving letters. Kairi slowly shook her head at him before finally speaking up.

“Sora, what are you talking about? That’s not normal.” Sora tilted his head in question. What did she mean ‘not normal’? It’s what he always saw whenever he tried to read. He was about to answer her when there was a clatter of a tray being sat down on their table. The two children turned to see Riku sitting down with them, along with another kid they didn’t recognize. Now that they were in first grade, that meant they got to eat with all the other grade-schoolers together in the cafeteria, including Riku. He looked between them with a smile.

“What’s not normal? Putting potato chips in your peanut butter sandwich?” He shot a look at the boy next to him who put his hands up in defense. 

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it. It tastes good!” Riku frowned at him before turning back to address the two younger kids at the table. He smiled at them in question. 

“So what are we talking about?” Sora pouted and looked at Kairi. She looked back at him before quietly answering Riku.

“Sora was saying how reading is hard, which I get. But then he started talking about letters moving across the page and not being able to tell the difference between them.” Riku gave him a look of confusion that made Sora unsure of himself. Did others not have the same problem? It would make sense that reading is easier if the letters stayed still and looked the way they were supposed to. He couldn’t imagine it though, for him it was always a complex blur of letters and words. He looked at Riku questioningly.

“Do you guys not see the same thing? I’ve always had trouble with keeping track of the letters when reading.” Riku and Kairi shook their heads and there was a quiet no from Ven inside him. He sighed and put his head on the table. It figured he’d be the odd one out here. He was about to complain about the unfairness of it all when the boy that came with Riku spoke up.

“You might have dyslexia.” He looked up at the boy in confusion. He was smiling awkwardly at him, but it was a nice smile. Not mocking his plight, but genuine. He shrugged before speaking again.

“My friend Tidus has the same problem. He says that letters jump around the paper and he has a hard time telling the difference between certain letters. My mom said it’s because he has something called dyslexia. From what you’re describing it sounds like you might have it too.” Sora let out a breath of relief. While he’d never heard of dyslexia before, it was reassuring to know he wasn’t the only one who dealt with this sort of thing. He smiled at the other boy.

“Thanks, I’ll have to ask my parents about it. Um…” He still didn’t know the boy’s name and felt awkward asking. Luckily, the other kid seemed to understand his dilemma and grinned at him.

“I’m Wakka by the way, I’m in second grade with Riku. My friend Tidus that I mentioned just started kindergarten along with our other friend Selphie. You’re Sora and Kairi right? I’ve heard a lot about you guys.” Sora perked up. So this was Wakka! It was nice to finally have a face to put to the name. He grinned back at him with a laugh.

“I’ve heard about you from Riku too! It’s nice to meet you!” Kairi was giggling next to him and Wakka turned to Riku with a pout.

“What’s with those laughs? What have you been telling your friends about me?” Riku just smiled innocently and shrugged his shoulders at him.

“Nothing but the truth, I swear.” Sora could hear Ven laughing inside him and did his best to stifle his own obvious amusement as he pictured Wakka covered in strawberry yogurt. The older boy let out a long-suffering sigh.

“That’s exactly what I was afraid of.” Riku rolled his eyes at him and Wakka gave a smile before they both laughed it off. The group of them began talking about their classes so far as they ate their lunches. Apparently the second grade teacher had already given them a quiz to see what they remembered from last year, and they had another one coming up after lunch ended. Sora was about to comment on how unfair that was when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around to see two kids that had been in his class last year standing there. He couldn’t recall if he’d seen them in his class today, but he remembered them from kindergarten. They were part of the group of kids who neither believed him about Ven, nor did they pretend to in order to play along. Instead, the kids demanded ‘proof’ that Ven was real. Sora really didn’t like them. The blond kid was the first to speak up.

“So Sora, the teachers aren’t paying attention to us since we’re in the cafeteria. Why don’t you have Ven come out and talk to us?” He grinned at Sora with a malicious sort of glee, probably knowing he’d get the same response Sora usually gave.

“I’ve told you before, we’re not supposed to switch while we’re at school. Our Mama said we’re not allowed to.” It was an answer he’d given whenever anyone asked Ven to come out. He’d made an exception once for Kairi to introduce her to Ven at recess on the first day of school when he’d met her, but that was a special case. He wasn’t going to break a rule Mama had given him just to please some kids who didn’t even really believe that Ven was real. The other kid snorted at him.

“Sure, _that’s_ the reason. You know, with all these excuses you always give, I’m starting to think that Ven doesn’t even exist.” The blond looked smug and Sora just frowned at him.

“You’ve never believed in Ven anyway, that doesn’t mean he’s not real.” Sora didn’t get why they were even having this conversation again in the first place. It wasn’t like they actually wanted to believe Ven existed, they just seemed to like rubbing their disbelief in his face.

_Just ignore him Sora, he’s only trying to get a rise out of you. Nothing you say will change his mind._

Ven had a point; no matter how many times he said his brother was real, they never believed him. At this point they were just trying to be mean. He was trying to think of something else to say when Kairi beat him to it.

“Just leave us alone already, we’re trying to eat. Besides, you don’t actually care about Ven anyway.” She was glaring at them, that spark of hers coming out once again. The two kids looked at each other before one of them spoke up.

“Fine, you guys have fun with your imaginary friend. We’ll be over there talking to actual people.” With a final huff the two boys turned and left. Sora waited until they were on the other side of the lunchroom before groaning. It was a short interaction, but it really drained him. They were just so frustrating.

“Thanks Kairi, I never know what to say to get them to go away.” He smiled at his friend and she gave a small grin back. He was planning on just going back to eating when Riku spoke up.

“Does that sort of thing happen often?” He was looking at him with concern and Sora realized he’d never seen this sort of interaction before. It was usually only him, Ven, and Kairi since the majority of instances happened in the classroom. He shrugged his shoulders and tried to brush it off.

“Only every now and then. They’re just some kids who don’t like us since they don’t believe that Ven is real.” It was a dumb reason to be rude to someone, but that’s just how things worked out sometimes. It was like Mom had said before, not everyone would like or understand them, and that was okay. He didn’t need people like them to be his friends; he already had the best friends in the world. His thoughts were interrupted as Wakka looked around in confusion.

“Okay, I’m lost. What were those kids talking about? Ven is Sora’s older brother right? Why wouldn’t they believe he’s real?” Sora looked at Riku who just shrugged at him. He guessed while the other boy had mentioned Ven before, he’d never fully explained the situation. Sora sighed and looked at the confused boy.

“Yeah, Ven’s my brother, but it’s a little more complicated than that. I guess the best way to explain it is that he doesn’t have his own body right now? Instead his heart is sharing my body for a while. We can switch places so he’s in control sometimes, but I’m not supposed to do that at school. Because they can’t see him, they don’t think Ven is real.” Finishing his explanation, Sora waited with baited breath. He could feel the tension at the table as everyone waited to find out what Wakka’s reaction would be. Would he believe that he was telling the truth? Or would he brush them off and refuse to be friends with them? After a moment Wakka just shrugged.

“Alright then.” He went back to eating his sandwich and Sora looked at Riku in confusion. Riku was the one to voice what they were all thinking.

“’Alright then’? That’s it?” It seemed like a very underwhelming answer that didn’t really let them know what he was thinking. Wakka just looked at them all and swallowed his bite of food.

“Well, yeah. What else can I really say? I’ve always thought there are things in this world that you can’t really explain. This is probably just one of them. Do I understand it? Not really, it’s kind of confusing to be honest. But if you’re asking if I believe you, then sure, I have no reason not to. I would like to meet Ven sometime though, from what I’ve heard he sounds like a pretty fun guy.” He took another bite of his sandwich and there was a collective breath of relief from the whole table. Sora smiled, it was rare that he found someone who genuinely believed that Ven was real. He liked Wakka and was glad he was one of them. They all went back to talking as they ate their meals, Wakka telling them about him, Tidus, and Selphie all growing up together nearby. They would definitely have to make planes to all get together to play sometime. They were talking about meeting up with everyone after school got out when the bell rang once more announcing the end of lunch period.

“We’ll see you guys once school lets out, I’m sure Tidus and Selphie will love you all.” Wakka smiled as he gathered his trash to throw out and stood from the table. Riku joined him and gave one last goodbye to Kairi and Sora as the two older kids went to join the rest of their class.

“We better get going to.” Kairi packed up what remained of her lunch and stood waiting for Sora to follow suit. He quickly grabbed his lunchbox and walked with her to stand in line with the rest of their class. As they approached the group of children, he could see the kids from earlier in the front of the line with the teacher. So they were in his class this year after all. He frowned a bit; sure that today would repeat itself again throughout the school year.

_Don’t worry about them; they don’t matter. You can’t help it that some people wont like us. But we made a good friend today in Wakka, and I’m sure Tidus and Selphie will be great too. Focus on the positives; it’ll do you no good to get dragged down with those who disagree with you._

Ven was right, he’d already made the best friends he could hope for, it didn’t matter that some other people didn’t like him. He had Riku and Kairi, and now Wakka too! Not to mention his parent and Ven, they were the most amazing people in the world. Besides, these were just a couple of kids. What was the worst they could do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the ending is a bit abrupt! I have to head to work like, five minutes ago so I'm in a rush to head out! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Sora!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Going a whole week without updating? Dang, I must have been busy. In all seriousness though thank you all for being so lovely with the comments last chapter and so patient in waiting for this chapter to come out! I hope you all enjoy it!

Sora blearily blinked his eyes open as he sat up in bed. With a wide yawn, he stretched his arms as his muscles woke up from their deep slumber. Looking out the window he could see the sun had already made its was up into the sky, indicating that he must have slept in. He took a moment to wonder why no one woke him up before remembering what day it was. He perked up in excitement as he realized that today was his birthday. He was now seven years old, or at least, he would be at one in the afternoon. Hopping out of bed, he hurried over to his closet to quickly get dressed for the day. Picking out one of his favorite shirts and getting changed, he was about to head downstairs when Ven spoke up inside him.

_Slow down there, birthday boy, I get that you’re excited but I think you may be forgetting something. We said this year would be a surprise, didn’t we? That means it’s time to switch out and for you to head back to sleep._

Sora frowned as it came back to him. His family wanted to throw him a surprise party, and while they couldn’t exactly keep the party itself a surprise, they could do all the decorating and set up in secret with Ven in control and Sora deep in his heart. It was a cool idea and he was excited for it, but he was impatient! He wanted everything to be ready now.

“Okay fine, but don’t take too long you hear me? Make sure you finish up quick so we can get to celebrating.” He could hear Ven laughing at his eagerness as he closed his eyes and let himself drift deep into his own heartscape. Soon Ven was blinking his own eyes open and shaking feeling into his limbs. He waited a few moments to make sure Sora was truly asleep inside him, feeling for that certain emptiness that indicated he was alone in his head. Once he felt it, he opened the bedroom door and headed downstairs.

Entering the living room, he saw that their parents had already gotten started on the preparations. Mama was hanging streamers across the ceiling and there were the words ‘Happy Birthday’ strung along the wall. Mom wasn’t in the room, but based on the smell coming from the kitchen, he wagered that she was busy cooking food for the party. Mama spotted him and smiled as she got down from the stepladder she was on.

“Morning Ven, Sora asleep in there?” She walked over and ruffled his hair, causing him to laugh. Maybe it was because she had straight hair herself, but Mama loved to mess with Sora’s fluffy locks. He smiled as he tried to straighten it out as much as he could with just his fingers.

“Yup, he’s agreed to stay in his heart until it’s time for the party to start. I think we should wait until everyone gets here so he can come out to everybody shouting ‘happy birthday’ to him.” It was Ven’s idea in the first place to try and throw a surprise party for his younger brother so he had quite a few things in mind for them to do. Mama smiled and nodded her head.

“That sounds like a great idea. Your friends should start arriving between two and three o’clock. I could definitely use some help with these decorations, but first things first, go get something to eat. Your body needs fuel for the day.” She pointed him to the kitchen and Ven headed to go get some food. Walking into the room, he could see Mom hard at work making food and snacks for the day. There was a spread of fruits and veggies on the table, as well as bowls of chips and homemade dip for snacking on. Sitting on the counter was a large ham that Mom made on special occasions. It had to cook overnight but the way it tasted made it worth the effort and time it took. Mom looked up from shredding the ham to smile at him.

“Hey there jitterbug, how are you two doing this morning?” Ven grinned at her as he walked over to try and snatch a piece of ham to try. Mom gave him a look but allowed him to take a piece and taste it, seeing as he wouldn’t be out to eat any during the actual party. Not that there wouldn’t be leftovers for him to try another time, it was a very big ham. Taking a bite, he enjoyed the taste of the pork before answering her.

“We’re doing well, Sora’s asleep inside his heart so we have plenty of time to prepare everything. Mama said I should get something to eat first so I don’t get tired helping her out.” He walked over to the pantry to grab a box of cereal, figuring it would make a quick and easy breakfast. He opened the fridge next to reach up and get the jug of milk out. Sora was finally tall enough to reach the shelf it was on which made things much more convenient for Ven. He brought them over to the table and went to get a bowl and spoon so he could start eating. Mom just watched him with a smile.

“As long as you don’t get too stuffed on cereal. I didn’t spend all morning cooking for this food to not get eaten.” She went back to shredding the ham once Ven nodded as he took a bit of his breakfast. He made sure to eat quickly so he could get to work helping with the set up for the party. Finishing up, he put his bowl in the dishwasher and put the cereal and milk away again. He walked over to quickly give Mom a good morning hug before he was heading back to the living room.

Ven walked into the room to see Mama sitting with a large tank and a pile of balloons. There was a small collection of already inflated balloons gathered at the ceiling above her head as she worked on inflating the rest with helium. She looked up as he walked over to her.

“You all ready? I have a mess of streamers that needs to get untangled before we can hang them.” She pointed at the coffee table where the streamers were all wound together in a mess of knots. Nodding his head, he grabbed the lot of them and sat on the floor to begin the process of straightening them out. The two of them kept up a steady conversation while they worked, Ven talking about the things he’s been learning in Sora’s class that he was never taught in training while Mama told him stories about when Sora was first born.

“Kalana had the biggest smile on her face. There she was, lying in the hospital bed, a mess of sweat and tears and absolutely exhausted, and the first thing out of her mouth was a surprised ‘He looks like me’. As if she expected Sora to take after me! It was ridiculous, I still tease her about it sometimes.” Ven was laughing as she went on about how loopy Mom was during and after giving birth. 

Finishing up with untangling the streamers, he and Mama wend ahead and hung them across the walls. They soon moved on to laying out a tablecloth on the coffee table so they could place the snacks there later. Ven worked on sprinkling confetti on the table while Mama strung the balloons up around the room. Once their tasks were complete they went about setting up the party games. Mama hung a piñata from the ceiling and Ven gathered up a stack of board games and other fun activities from the cupboard. With everything done in the living room, it was time to move on to the dining room. Walking into the joint kitchen and dining room, they saw that Mom was finished with the ham and was now working on the cake batter. She had chocolate on her nose and her hair was falling out of its bun on top of her head. 

“Dear, you look like a mess.” Mama was grinning as she walked over to wipe the cake batter off her wife’s nose. Mom stuck out her tongue at her and she continued to pour ingredients into the mixer.

“You would too if you’d been cooking since ten in the morning. You got the clean job of decorating while I have to do the messy work.” Mama rolled her eyes at her as she walked over to the pantry to get the rest of the decorations for the dining room. Ven trotted over to help her carry everything to the kitchen table.

“You and I both know that if I’d let you do the decorating, all the balloons would be scattered in pieces across the floor. You always try to inflate them too much and they just end up popping.” She playfully glared at Mom who just shrugged her shoulders unrepentantly.

“Hey, balloons are meant to be big. Not my fault if they make them too cheap to hold up to my standards.” Ven laughed at his parents as they bickered back and forth. He put the decorations he was carrying on the kitchen table and looked at the snacks laid out across it. He supposed they’d better move them to the living room so they could get started on the kitchen. Reaching up, he pulled down the plates of fruits and veggie, leaving the heavier bowls with the chips and dip to Mama.

As soon as they’d finished moving the snacks, they got to work setting up the dining table. Ven laid out the tablecloth and paper plates, sprinkling more confetti around, while Mama tied balloons and streamers to the chairs and walls. Mom would pipe up every now and then with a comment on how they should move this or do that, but Mama ignored her since she ‘had no sense of interior decorating’. It wasn’t long before they were all finished and the cake in the oven was the last thing that needed to be done. The three of them sat at the table while they waited for the timer to go off indicating that the cake was finished.

“So what was Sora like as a baby?” Ven found it interesting hearing what it was like for their parents raising his little brother. He didn’t remember his own birth parents or childhood, so it was fun to hear stories about their experiences. Mom smiled at him and shook her head.

“He was pretty much the same as he is now. He was a very social baby, he loved to be passed around from person to person, and anyone who held him instantly fell in love. He had the same boisterous energy that he has today; only he didn’t enjoy sleeping as much back then as he does now. I can’t tell you how many nights we had to stay up with him because he just would not fall asleep.” Mama barked out a laugh at that.

“Are you kidding? I can tell you; every night until he was four. He always wanted to be doing something, be it playing outside or watching a movie, and he didn’t seem to understand that while he got to sleep in all day, we adults had to get up every morning.” She shook her head as the two women grinned at one another. Despite the exhaustion it must have caused, it obviously became a fond memory for them. Mom chuckled as she turned back to Ven.

“There was a time when he insisted on watching Quest For Camelot before he’d even consider going to bed. I think we watched that movie every night for maybe a month and a half? He could sing along to all the songs and probably knew every line in the movie by the time he’d finally had enough of it. If there are two things Sora loves in his movies, it’s romance and adventure, and this movie has both. It’s a good movie at least, so we didn’t mind watching it too much. The dragon song became a bit repetitive after a while though.” Ven laughed, he’d watched that movie with Sora before and it was a good movie. He couldn’t imagine watching it so many times in a row though.

They continued to share stories about the birthday boy until the timer for the cake went off. Mom got up and went to pull the confection out of the oven, Ven following behind her. Once the cake was set on the counter to cool, she got to work on making the icing. Ven watched as she poured the ingredients into the mixing bowl with a sense of nostalgia. It reminded him of back in The Land Of Departure; when Aqua would bake in the kitchen and then let him help with the decorating. It was a bittersweet memory, as were most that involved his old life these days. While he would always cherish all the friends he’s made, Terra and Aqua especially, he felt sad that he was left to wonder what happened to them. Were they safe? Had they defeated Master Xehanort? Were they wondering where he was? Did they miss him? He had so many questions and no way to get any answers. It drove him crazy sometimes, how helpless he felt about the situation. He would never regret it though, not when it allowed him to meet everyone here on the islands. He was jarred from his thoughts as a spoon was shoved in his face.

“Why the long face kiddo? Need a taste of icing?” He looked up to see Mom holding the spoon with frosting out for him, a smile masking her concern. He knew his family worried about him when he got too quiet like that, they could tell when he became too stuck in his thoughts about the past. While he hadn’t told them everything, he’d mentioned enough for them to piece together that not all memories of his were good ones. He shook his head and smiled at her, reaching out to take the spoon from her hands.

“It’s nothing, I was just thinking is all. Hey, is it alright if I help decorate the cake?” Mom shared a glance with Mama but let the subject drop. Instead she grinned at him and agreed, pulling the cake over and scooping the icing into a piping bag. The two of them got to work making the cake look presentable with Mama watching from the table. Putting on the finishing touches, their attention was drawn away as they heard a chime from the doorbell. Mama stood from her seat to go let in whoever had arrived first for the party. Jumping down from the chair he was stood on, Ven followed her into the hallway to see Riku at the door, backpack slung over his shoulders and a brightly wrapped present in his hands. He walked into the house and took off his shoes with a smile on his face as Ven waved at him.

“Hi Riku, you ready for Sora’s party?” The other boy nodded as Ven showed him into the living room, pointing to where he should put his stuff. Riku was going to be sleeping over so he and Sora could stay up and have fun together. They’d wanted Kairi to stay the night as well but her Dad wouldn’t let her, saying it wasn’t right for a girl to sleep over at a boy’s house. Once Riku had put his things away, the two of them sat on the sofa to talk while they waited for the others to arrive. Everyone began trickling in now that it was getting closer to the time they said the party would start. Wakka arrived first, his mom dropping him off with a promise to be back later. Next, Tidus and Selphie were dropped off together by their parents, who were taking advantage of being childless for the day by going on a double date. Finally the doorbell rang for a final time, indicating that Kairi had arrived. Ven ran to the hallway just as Mama was opening the door. Kairi’s dad stood on the step with his daughter, head almost touching the doorframe. Mama only came up to his shoulders, and despite the heat from outside he was wearing a full suit, looking as if he was heading to a business meeting rather than just dropping his daughter off at a friends house. His eyes were hard, something that didn’t change even as he gave a friendly smile to him and Mama. 

“Good afternoon Aiko, I hope you are doing well today.” Ven came up behind Mama slowly, feeling as though he was approaching a predator. He’d heard about Kairi’s dad before, but this was his first time ever meeting him. The mans eyes caught sight of his movement, and soon his attention was directed at Ven. There was slime running down Ven’s arms as he got the feeling he was being dissected with that look. He hadn’t done anything wrong, he’d hardly said ten words since arriving, but he unsettled Ven regardless.

“So this is the birthday boy, I must say it’s good to finally meet the friend I’ve heard so much about from my daughter.” He looked around the doorway as though he was searching for someone. “Is your brother here as well? I wanted to thank the two of you for being so kind to my daughter and helping her feel welcome at school.” Ven had the feeling that there was a lot Kairi hadn’t told her dad about, and it seemed Ven and Sora sharing a body was one of them. He knew how most adults reacted when they heard about their situation, writing it off as a child’s overactive imagination. From the way Kairi tensed up slightly beside him, Ven could tell that it wouldn’t be wise to enlighten her father to the truth. Taking a breath, Ven put on his best smile and looked up at the older man.

“My brother’s around, he’s still helping set up for the party. I’ll pass on your message though. It was nice to meet you as well, but I should really show Kairi where to put her things. If you’ll follow me.” He gestured for Kairi to come with him and she quickly made her way over after saying goodbye to her father. He heard his Mama making polite conversation as they made their way into the living room. As soon as they were out of sight from the hallway, Kairi let out a sigh besides him. She met his eyes with a sad look before glancing away.

“I’m sorry you had to lie. I should have told my Dad the truth about you Ven, but I was worried that he would think it was just ‘childish nonsense’ and then he wouldn’t want me to play with you two anymore.” Her voice was quiet and Ven couldn’t do anything but smile at her. While he wished things could be different, he understood where she was coming from. Things were different for her and her dad than they were for his family. He just shook his head and took her by the hand. 

“It’s alright, you don’t have to worry about me. Now come on, smile! It’s Sora’s birthday today and I know he’d hate to see you sad.” After a moment of hesitation, she smiled back at him and they both made their way to the kitchen. Now that everyone had arrived, it was time to get the party started. All the kids had gathered at the dining room table, everyone grabbing a chair to sit in. Mom was placing candles on the cake that she’d moved to the head of the table. Riku was sitting to the left of the head seat, and the chair to the right was empty. Ven pulled Kairi over to the final two chairs and sat at the head of the table, looking out at everyone who’d come today. Wakka and Tidus were joking with one another with Selphie sitting across from them. Mama had rejoined them and was stood with a camera at the other end of the table. Finishing up with lighting the candles, Mom stood back and turned off the lights so that only the glow of the candles and the sun steaming through the windows illuminated the room.

Ven smiled as everyone turned to look at him. With a nod from his Mom, he closed his eyes and sank back into his and Sora’s shared heartspace. He could feel Sora dormant inside him as he slept, and gently nudged his presence awake. 

_Is it time?_

Instead of answering him, he let himself fade into the background, giving Sora the go ahead to take over again. Slowly, their eyes opened and for the first time, Sora saw everything they’d worked on today. All the decorations, the cake lit with candles, and his friends and family all gathered around him, smiling. Overwhelmed, his eyes shimmered with unshed tears as everyone cheered in unison.

“Happy Birthday Sora!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know technically Sora's birthday isn'n until the 28th but I wanted to get this posted already! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you think in a comment! They always leaving me smiling and wanting to write!

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for the first chapter! Please leave a comment letting me know what you think! Thank you for reading!


End file.
